


After the Fall

by slayerchick303



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:35:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 40,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25996867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slayerchick303/pseuds/slayerchick303
Summary: Felicity learns that Oliver has been killed during his duel with Ra's al Ghul. She is overjoyed when he arrives home alive, until he reveals his plan for dealing with the League of Assassins. Can Felicity stand by and risk Oliver's plan to eliminate the Demon's Head failing? Can she lose the man she loves again?Rated Explicit for occasional mature language, mild violence, and lemons.
Relationships: Oliver Queen & Felicity Smoak
Comments: 23
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I started writing this when my father died at the beginning of this 2016. He was the biggest _Arrow_ fan. He was always recommending _Arrow_ to me. I saw a couple of random episodes with him after I had had spinal surgery and was staying with my parents. I liked it a lot but I hadn't gotten a chance to actually watch the show from the beginning until now, so I didn't really understand it a whole lot. I just finished binge-watching it and I totally understand why my father was obsessed with it. It is one of those rare perfect shows. I ship Olicity soooo much!

This fan-fiction takes place in season 3 when Oliver goes to duel Ra's al Ghul after he takes responsibility for his sister, Thea, unknowingly murdering Sara Lance. This is my first attempt at fan-fiction, so please be gentle with your critiques. I don't expect this to be good by any means. I'd appreciate any feedback for improvement you can give me. Feel free to contact me if you're interested in being a Beta for me too. This story is rated M for occasional mature language and eventual lemons.

**~`**`~ Felicity ~`**`~**

Fighting the exhaustion that threatened to overtake her, Felicity stood alone in her office at Palmer Technologies and gazed out the window. Her continuous lack of sleep over the past several days was starting to eat at her intellectually, physically, and emotionally. Being occupied by something important or engrossing was the only thing that gave her moments of respite from the angst that dominated her mind of late. Felicity found she was losing herself in her work at Palmer Technologies and The Foundry and spending less and less time at home.

The blackness of the night outside did nothing to calm her overactive and anxious thoughts. The tiny patches of illumination from the lit office lights in nearby buildings seemed to reflect her mood. Felicity felt lost and awash in all-consuming worry, but she occasionally found something that gave her a tiny reminder of Oliver's love. She gripped onto those reminders and her dwindling hope with every fiber of strength she had left.

The shrill sound of her cell phone ringing broke through her revelry. She reached to glance at the caller ID and, as usual, hoped against all hope that Oliver's picture would be on the screen because he was alive and calling her. She was disappointed and concerned to see it was a blocked number. Decidedly, she answered the call with a slightly wary, "Hello."

"Hello, Miss Smoak," the voice said confidently. Fear, disgust, and anger seized her while shudder went through her body.

"What do you want, Malcolm?" demanded Felicity.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to relay some unwelcome information."

"What could you say that I… or we, could ever believe?" said Felicity, voice dripping with distain.

"This concerns Oliver. I successfully located where he went to duel Ra's al Ghul. I can tell you all with certainty now that Oliver did not survive." Malcolm said cautiously.

"I don't believe you. You're the reason he went there in the first place," Felicity said with disbelief and anger.

"You should believe me, Miss Smoak. I have no reason to lie about this. I truly believed Oliver would succeed in killing Ra's al Ghul. I did not want him to die. His death means my own, "Merlyn admitted. "My orchestration, and Oliver's failure, in this have doomed both me and my daughter to living as fugitives and ultimately experiencing a horrific death, I'm sure. This news will also devastate Thea. I know this will incur all of your hatred, but I cannot allow my daughter to live in denial any longer. None of you should. Oliver is gone," Malcolm finished firmly.

"This coming from a man who claims to love his daughter but made her murder a friend, then blackmailed Oliver to go fight for her. All to save your own ass! You don't care about anyone but yourself. Did you even see Oliver's body?" Felicity questioned aggressively.

"His body fell into a ravine so he cannot be recovered, but I have proof of his demise. Ra's al Ghul always leaves the instrument of murder at the location of his duels to lay claim and honor the fallen warrior he slew. A sword with Oliver's blood was left on the mountain where he and The Demon's Head dueled. Oliver _is_ dead," Malcolm replied seriously

"No. Oliver will come back. He always comes back," Felicity spoke assuredly.

"This truly pangs me as well. I looked on Oliver as a son. I will have to live with the guilt of Oliver's death the rest of my days. But you all need to accept that he is not coming back. I can see you love him and he certainly loved you…" Merlyn started.

With that, Felicity could not stand another syllable of Malcolm's deceit. She forcefully hung up her phone before he could finish his sentence. In no universe would she allow Malcolm Merlyn to talk about her and Oliver's love for each other. He had no idea what love was. He had absolutely no place commenting on theirs.

Felicity hadn't even had the opportunity to tell Oliver she loved him yet. She didn't know why she was so afraid to say "I love you" out loud to him. Oliver had told her he loved her several times now. It was the last words he spoke to her before leaving for the secret location where he would duel Ra's al Ghul. She wished with all her heart that she would have said it in response to his last declaration. Felicity now thought perhaps having told him the truth before he left for his duel would have given him even more motivation to succeed and return to her sooner.

Felicity wondered if the first time Oliver had told her he loved her was subconsciously sabotaging her efforts to confess her love to him. The first time Oliver had told Felicity he loved her she was sure it had been entirely a ruse to flush out and defeat Slade Wilson, who they discovered was secretly monitoring their conversation in attempts to discover the identity of Oliver's true love. Felicity was devastated to discover mid-confession from Oliver that his pronouncement of love had most likely been melodrama all along. After telling her he loved her, Oliver slyly handed her a weapon that would hurt Slade Wilson when their conversation assuredly drew Slade out of hiding. That was the moment she knew he hadn't meant what he said and it broke her heart.

Felicity had been slowly falling in love with Oliver since the moment they met, despite his initial many ridiculous lies to her and frequent emotional distance. She was too shocked by his admission of love in that moment to even admit to herself, never mind him, that she loved him back. Felicity was now profoundly grateful she hadn't previously realized she was in love with Oliver and therefore returned his sentiment in kind because she was still unsure if he meant it, and she most definitely wouldn't have wanted her first time telling Oliver she loved him being observed by Slade Wilson.

By then Felicity had become so angry that she was sure that if Malcolm Merlyn had been in front of her she would have physically assaulted him, even though doing so would have undoubtedly accomplished nothing. Malcolm Merlyn lied with every breath he took. He would never be trustworthy in regards to anything, never mind something as important as Oliver's survival.

Felicity resolved that telling Dig, Roy, or Laurel about her conversation with Malcolm Merlyn would be unnecessary. Telling them what Malcolm had said would only cause undue worry and strain on the group. When it was proven he had been lying about Oliver's death, they would discover they will have been upset (or at worst grieving) because Malcolm Merlyn was playing some twisted game all along. She would inform Team Arrow when she got legitimate information about Oliver's whereabouts and not sooner. She hated keeping something from the group but because of Merlyn's proclivity for falsehoods, she had no choice but to do so if she wanted to spare Diggle, Roy, Laurel, and eventually Thea from potential unwarranted heartache.

Suddenly wanting nothing more than to be out of her office and away from the conversation she'd had with Malcolm, Felicity grabbed her bag, turned off her computer, and headed towards her office doorway to leave. She dreaded going home and being without the distractions afforded by her office, but she had nowhere else to turn that wasn't enveloped by memories of Oliver. She'd simply have to survive until the morning when hopefully she would come back to her office and find a modicum of solitude in it again.


	2. Chapter 2

**~`**`~ Felicity ~`**`~**

The next morning, Felicity arrived at the office three hours early despite lingering much longer than necessary at home. She had even taken her time painstakingly getting ready. She uncharacteristically went through the effort of styling her hair down, forgoing the convenience of her standard ponytail. After forcing herself to eat a minimal breakfast, she could no longer justify staying at home. As much as she truly wished she could curl up and sleep for once, she knew she had responsibilities at Palmer Tech. She had no idea how early she was leaving.

Felicity rarely slept recently and when she did it was short-lived, fitful, and plagued by nightmares about Oliver. The most recent nightmare had him drowning. A man in a terrifying mask akin to a ferocious monkey was forcibly holding a struggling Oliver down in a murky lake that seemed to stretch on without end. Felicity herself stood invisible, frozen, and screaming on the pebble-strewn lake shore. Her dreams always lingered on and on forever until Felicity woke with a strangled gasp and drenched in sweat. Oliver had to make it home. He just had to. Felicity could not survive this way if he didn't.

Felicity walked into her office, ready to do busywork until her first meeting in four hours. She accomplished many small tasks that either didn't need to be done by her or didn't need to be done at all. The distraction of work was slightly helpful to her state of mind. As the day went on, Felicity hosted and went to all meetings required of her but not for the first time since Oliver hadn't returned from his duel, people asked if she was okay or if she was ill. Felicity was obviously subdued to all those around her. She remained proficient at her job and dutiful, but she found it nearly impossible to find the fulfillment she had formerly found in her extensive role at Palmer Tech. All she could think of was Oliver and it was killing her.

After her final meeting of the day, Felicity headed back to her spacious office. She sat at her desk and went over her schedule for the upcoming week. She stretched out her arms above her and then her legs under the desk. She felt the relief in her legs as she stretched them further out. Felicity was glad the day was winding down and was starting to feel a rare sense of calm until she felt something scrape against her foot. There should have been nothing to obstruct her movement under her desk top, so she was curious to see what was there that shouldn't have been. She stood up from her desk chair, pushed it aside, and knelt down on the floor, tilting her head until she could see the area beneath the desk top where her legs and feet had been.

Felicity physically recoiled in horror at the red-stained sword she saw. Dear god. Someone had shoved a bloody sword just out of sight underneath the top surface of her desk. It slowly sunk in for Felicity that Malcolm Merlyn had surely put the sword there. After her initial worry of how he not only gained access to her office in the middle of the day but how he'd gotten in unrecognized while toting a blood-stained sword, she realized what the sword in fact was and why Malcolm had put it there.

Felicity's head spun. She wasn't sure whether she would faint, hack, cry, or some combination of all three. If Merlyn had been telling the truth on the phone last night, the sword was covered in Oliver's blood. She could hardly breathe at the thought. She stayed kneeling on the floor by her desk, staring at the sword. She was both terrified to touch it and desperate to get it to the lab to confirm that Malcolm had been lying about it being Oliver's blood and it being proof of his death.

Felicity knew she could not unwedge the sword from where it was in the desk without making a substantial amount of noise. Even if she could get it out, she had no way to move it out of her office and stay unnoticed by the remaining employees at Palmer Tech- most of whom were security personal and would undoubtedly be more than a little upset by a high level Palmer Tech employee walking around the building with a dangerous weapon.

Felicity's mind began race with worry and after a few moments it became clear to her that she was not going to be able to function until she found out if it was Oliver's blood on the substantial blade or not. The problem now was figuring out how to test the DNA on the sword without carrying the entire weapon through the office to get it to Palmer Tech's lab. Suddenly, an idea occurred to her that was far from perfect but stood a slim chance of working. In the top drawer of her desk she always kept a few adhesive bandages. Felicity was so used to digital representations of documents that physically manipulating any amount of tangible paper always lead to small painful paper cuts on at least one finger. Bandages were an absolute necessity in her office.

Felicity pulled a Band Aid out of her desk drawer and bent back down eye level with the sword. She proceeded to very gently pull off the bandage's wrapper, leaving the very end intact and still adhered together, forming a small 'V'. Sliding the bandage out by its sides, Felicity pulled the plastic liners protecting the adhesive ends of the Band Aid back away from the absorbent cotton pad in the center. Stretching forward underneath the desk towards the gory sword, Felicity rubbed the cotton pad of the Band Aid against the flat side of the blade, trying to pick up as much blood onto the pad she could. The more she did so, the sicker she felt. She could smell the metallic tang of blood by being this close to the horror show of a weapon. This couldn't be Oliver's blood, but the blood obviously belonged to someone. Once Felicity was satisfied with the amount of blood she'd gotten onto the bandage, she let the plastic tabs fall over the cotton pad once more and slid the entire Band Aid back into its partially intact wrapper to protect it and hopefully decrease the risk of contaminating the DNA sample.

She palmed the wrapped Band Aid, slid out from under the desk, and clumsily stood up. The gravity of what she was doing was affecting her more than she'd like. She knew she couldn't escape Palmer Technologies and get to the Foundry at Verdant to test the DNA on the bandage there without greatly risking contaminating the DNA sample she collected. Luckily, Felicity knew the employees that worked in Palmer Tech's lab were almost certainly gone thanks to the work day having been officially over for a couple of hours.

Felicity left her office and attempted to look steady and casual while heading to the nearby bay of elevators. The elevator she summoned arrived quickly and empty, sparing her from a potential encounter with another Palmer Tech employee. She was grateful that she didn't have to confront speaking with someone. As soon as the doors closed in front of her, she sighed with a small amount of relief and leaned against the back wall of the elevator, closing her eyes briefly. As she felt the elevator slowly descend, she prayed that no one else would call for it. Felicity wasn't sure if she could keep appearing nonchalant if she was engaged in conversation by someone in such an enclosed space. She was struggling to suppress what she was sure was noticeable anxiety as it was.

Arriving at the floor she needed, Felicity exited the elevator cautiously. Seeing no one in the nearby vicinity, she moved into the lab area. Sitting at the station with all the necessary equipment to test the Band Aid for the DNA present on it, Felicity started to decipher the evidence Malcolm left her.

Felicity began conducting the now familiar routine of testing her blood collection sample. She hoped her improvised method of gathering it worked. If it didn't, she had no idea how she would prove that it was not Oliver's blood without accessing some serious stealth capabilities to extricate the sword from Palmer Technologies. She knew she was totally and completely incapable of that level of cunning. When she was finished processing the sample and setting the equipment, Felicity sat at the nearby computer and opened a back door program to the computer. She accessed the log in information of the last person to sign in to the computer. She didn't want to use her log in information and it be on record that she had used the lab. She had a plan to circumvent all evidence of her having been in the lab, but she wasn't ideally focused at the moment. It was hard to have her usual level of certainty of success.

After logging in to the unsuspecting employee's account, Felicity set the computer to automatically forward the DNA results to her computer, delete the record of them on the laboratory's computer, then destroy the blood sample she had scraped away from the blade. Before exiting the computer, she quickly changed the current time stamp on the computer's activity monitoring program. She didn't want the employee whose information she commandeered or the Palmer Tech server to know his/her/their account had been accessed outside of the hours he/she/they had been at work.

Felicity made her way back to her office and tried to at least appear calm while waiting for the DNA results to be completed by the lab, judged against the Starling City Police Department's DNA database, and then forwarded to her computer. It took all of her willpower not to pace back and forth across her office space. The results seemed to be taking the most time of anything she'd ever done in her entire life.

Just when she was starting to get worried something had gone awry with her test, her computer pinged, notifying her that the results of her test had been completed. Felicity dashed to her computer from where she had been staring unseeing out her expansive window. She needed only moments to read the results. It was a 99.997% match to Oliver's DNA. No. That couldn't be right. Felicity scoured the report to find an error. Any error. She searched for any indication that Oliver's DNA catalogued at the SCPD had been altered to falsify giving the sword's blood a positive match, or that the results had been hacked and changed themselves. She found nothing.

It wasn't possible. It couldn't be possible.


	3. Chapter 3

**~`**`~ Felicity ~`**`~**

Felicity sat at her desk and stared at her computer screen. It felt like she had been frozen there for hours, but only moments had passed. Malcolm had been telling the truth. If she had not been emotionally numb, she would have been shocked by that. But right now her emotions had completely halted and her mind was refusing to process anything. The world had frozen for her.

Suddenly, a wave of nausea hit her so hard that she dashed to her small office trash can to vomit in it. When she reached the empty can, she heaved and heaved but found no relief. After she slowly stood back upright, soft tremors started to rock through her body. She clutched her hands together to minimize the appearance of her body's reaction.

No thought seemed to be formed enough to actually register in Felicity's consciousness. She hypnotically walked over to the expansive window in her office. She didn't know exactly what she expected to see when she looked out the window, but surely there would be evidence to support this being one of her nightmares. Still numb inside herself, she gazed out the window. Nothing looked different. The universe was somehow the same. This was the first thought that she truly comprehended since absorbing the consensus of the DNA results.

Staring into the now black night outside her window, Felicity fought the realization she was sure was coming. She willed her mind to focus on anything other than Oliver. She continued to look outside and frantically search for something, anything, to distract her. She was too high up and it was too dark to see details of anything happening in the world outside her office. Employing her emotional avoidance technique was failing miserably.

Felicity shifted her head slightly and hoped that looking at a different area of Starling City would provide the salvation she needed. As she moved she caught a glimpse of her reflection looking intently back at her. She halted in place upon seeing the look on her own face. She looked wild-eyed and lost. Her face was visibly haunted. She appeared gaunt, withdrawn, and it seemed to Felicity that she looked like she had aged 10 years. It was not her face at all. The world had irrevocably changed and she changed right along with it. She was sure Oliver would not even recognize the person in her reflection now.

Upon that realization and seeing how helpless she looked, her emotional dam broke. Felicity inhaled a shuddering gasp of air. Oliver was gone and he was never coming back. This was really happening. Her breaths came in quicker and harder. Felicity's vision started to blur because of the tears swimming in her eyes that refused to fall. She suddenly felt weaker than she had ever felt in her entire life. Felicity slowly crumpled to the floor.

She sat on the cold office floor and pulled her knees up to her chest. Felicity thought if she made herself physically smaller, perhaps her feelings would shrink as well. It did not work. Trembling from what felt like her scalp to her toenails, Felicity stayed immobile on the hard floor. Staring at the dark polished marble surface, time lost all meaning for Felicity. Her entire being was consumed by her devastated emotional state and helpless physical state. She had no choice but to remain curled up on the floor hyperventilating and drowning in grief.

"I know, I know, I should go home but I… Felicity? Are you okay?" came Ray Palmer's voice from the doorway to her office. Felicity couldn't make herself turn to look at him or respond. She was still lost. Nothing mattered anymore. "Felicity?" Ray's voice was much closer now. Suddenly, a hand rested on Felicity's shoulder causing her to jump with alarm. Felicity hastily twisted away from Ray's attempt at reassurance and climbed precariously back to her feet. Ray had somehow noiselessly maneuvered directly behind her. His concern at her current state was all over his face. In her alacrity to get out of the office, Felicity slammed her body against Ray's sizeable frame. Ray seemed fazed and a little hurt by Felicity's hurried attempts to flee his presence.

"I have to go. I have to go. I… have to… go," muttered Felicity while glancing around her office trying to figure out what she needed to do in order to escape this situation. She fluttered her hands and spun in 360 degree circles, whipping her head back and forth frantically. Nothing she looked at seemed right. Nothing about this world seemed right, but she needed to get away from Ray as soon as possible. He positively radiated concern and well-meaning questions, and she could not be anywhere near either currently.

Felicity found salvation when she glimpsed her handbag. Grabbing it hastily, she almost ran toward her office doorway to escape the presence of an obviously alarmed Ray Palmer. When she reached the bay of amber marbled elevators, she was grateful to see that Ray had not pursued her.

Felicity looked down and saw her keys in her hand. When she looked at her surroundings she realized that she had somehow made it to the parking garage and was standing next to her car. She had absolutely zero recollection of making the journey through the Palmer Technologies building after the elevator by her office to where she was currently standing. When she thought about having potentially run into another Palmer Tech employee in her current state, she had a fleeting moment of apprehension for her own personal reputation, but ultimately decided she didn't care. She didn't care about anything anymore. Everyone in the Palmer Technologies building could say disgusting things about her every day for the rest of her life for all she cared.

Felicity got into her car and began her drive to Verdant. She was completely on autopilot. She knew what she had to do now, and she hated every second that carried her closer to bringing the dreaded news to Diggle, Laurel, and Roy. Felicity's tears started to fall thick and fast before Verdant even came into view.


	4. Chapter 4

**~`^`~ Oliver ~`^`~**

Oliver and Felicity laid curled up facing each other on a blanket in the large field next to the fuselage on Lian Yu. Oliver couldn't believe how happy he was in that moment. Felicity stared into his eyes and gave him a warm smile. He returned her smile with the most sincere grin of joy he'd ever felt. Oliver rested his hand against her cheek and she closed her eyes and sighed with contentment in response. "I'm so happy we're here," Oliver said with heartfelt satisfaction. "I am too, despite the landmines. Let's never leave," answered Felicity, opening her eyes and gazing at him with affection. Oliver leaned forward and gently and earnestly kissed Felicity. When he drew back to look at her she had a look of terror on her face. Utterly confused, Oliver drew back further from Felicity. "They're here," she said flatly. Oliver propped himself up on his arm to investigate what she meant. He saw dozens of members of the League of Assassins surrounding them and closing in. Everywhere he turned, Ra's al Ghul was leading the group in front of him. He knew he needed to fight to protect Felicity and save himself. He lowered himself back down to the blanket and turned to look back at the woman he loved. Just as he was about to tell Felicity to run, he noticed that her glasses were askew and she had blood on her face. His heart dropped when he saw that her eyes were totally lifeless. The light and joy that he loved about her had completely vanished from behind her eyes. Oliver moved to grab her body to shield her from the coming onslaught of warriors. When he went to reach his arms forward he saw he had a sword in his right hand. He knew the particular sword he held was the one Ra's al Ghul had plunged into him during their duel on the mountain top. The sword and his hands were covered in dark red blood. It was then that Oliver saw the gaping wound in Felicity's chest and the large puddle of blood that had soaked into the white blanket underneath them. He knew in his heart he had been the one who had stabbed Felicity. He had killed her.

The truck jolted violently underneath Oliver, roughly startling him awake. He could only be grateful for the harsh road and the crude truck bed then. His dream had been terrifying and he was sure it could have gotten much worse if it had been allowed to continue.

Oliver listened to the other passengers in the truck bed quietly murmur to each other and fiercely grip their few belongings. They probably didn't trust a _gaijin_ and feared he would do something terrible if he heard something he didn't like or saw a belonging he wanted. He ignored his qualms and sat huddled in his small section of the open truck bed, hoping his unassuming appearance and behavior would keep any suspicions about him from arising and trouble from ensuing.

The truck bed was far from the least comfortable way he had traveled, but Oliver was still sore and cold. Oliver normally tolerated cold temperatures remarkably well but after the significant injuries he had sustained during his battle with the Demon's Head, he found himself bearing the cold temperature and chilly wind less good-naturedly. Tatsu had provided him with Maseo Yamashiro's old blue fleece-lined coat before he left. Along with his own grey knit cap and scarf, Oliver felt that these items of clothing were less adequate at keeping the cold at bay than they normally would have been. Perhaps it was his blood loss or his body fighting his infection.

Oliver was thrilled to finally be going home. He knew he had been gone for several weeks and he was extremely concerned for his friends, Felicity, Thea, and Starling City. He wondered what had become of all of them in his absence. Oliver had healed relatively well thanks to the diligent ministrations of Tatsu Yamashiro but he was far from peak fighting condition. He genuinely hoped that Dig, Roy, and Felicity had managed to keep the chaos in Starling under control. He had faith in them but things fall apart. Oliver knew that better than most.

The rickety old truck Oliver and many others were using as transportation slowed to a stop, allowing a group of passengers near Oliver to climb out of the truck bed and walk down a small perpendicular gravel lane. Oliver grew more energized with each person that extricated themselves from the truck. The further he got from the mountain top where his and Ra's duel had taken place, the closer he got to home.

He found himself formulating a rough list of everything he needed to do once he got home. Oliver's first priority was definitely finding Thea, Felicity, Dig, Roy, and Laurel. He would have to think of an excuse, a somewhat believable lie, to explain to Thea his unexplained absence for the past several weeks. His next stop would be to find Diggle, Felicity, Roy, and Laurel. He'd thankfully be able to tell them the truth about what transpired on the mountain (mostly). He hoped they'd be more understanding about what he knew he needed to do next. He felt sick at the thought of doing what he was about to. Oliver had no choice though. He knew his personal integrity would have to be sacrificed in order to do the right thing for the ones he loved, the city he loved, and ultimately the world and that's something he would have to come to terms with soon.

Oliver catalogued his plan in his mind and prayed that it would succeed. He knew the likelihood of it happening as expected was remote and he anticipated many problems along the way. Oliver knew he would have to sacrifice many things, quite possibly the most important people in his life, but if it meant the safety of the people he loved and the city he loved, he'd gladly pay that price.


	5. Chapter 5

**~`**`~ Felicity ~`**`~**

Work, eat, sleep, and cry. Work, eat, sleep, and cry. Felicity's life had become a repeating cycle of misery. She could see no end to her melancholy ever since her heartbreaking conversation with Diggle, Roy, and Laurel at the Foundry the night she confirmed Oliver's death. Her revelation was met with denial, anger, attempts to place blame, and eventually devastated grief.

Now, Felicity only did the bare minimum she needed to in order to survive. She found joy or fulfillment in nothing. Work at Palmer Technologies had become checklists to achieve and nothing more. Ray rarely spoke to her alone and he had all together stopped asking for her help or ideas on his many technological projects or his newly-revealed A.T.O.M suit endeavor. Despite her continued politeness and efficiency, it was evident to everyone around her that she was a shell of her former self. Very few people knew the reason why she had changed so drastically, so most people simply attributed the change in her demeanor to stress. The majority of people around her office no longer stopped to occasionally say a friendly hello to her and that was fine with her. Those who did know the reason for her suffering kept trying to bring her out of the dark cloud she was living under to no avail.

Felicity still dreamed of Oliver. She almost longed for the nightmares she had been plagued by before finding out about Oliver's death. Her dreams of him were now longing and romantic. They spoke of the fantasies she entertained when she was still waiting for his return. They would never happen now. All the secrets whispered in candlelit rooms between the two of them would remain imaginary for her. Their love had been ended before it had even started.

Felicity's phone rang as she was unlocking her front door. Evening had just fallen and she was already beyond exhausted. After entering her apartment, Felicity grabbed her phone out of her bag to answer it but it had already stopped ringing. She glanced at the screen and saw a missed call from Diggle. She kicked off her shoes and waited to see if he left a voicemail. When her phone never dinged indicating she had a new message, she set it down and wandered into her kitchen to grab herself some water. She sat at her kitchen table with a glass of water and an apple. Just as she was finishing both a soft knock came from her front door. She padded across her apartment on bare feet and opened the door.

Felicity rocked backward at seeing who was at the door. She stood frozen in place, completely mute. "Hi," said Oliver gently. Felicity remained silent for several more seconds.

"Is this really happening?" Felicity replied barely above a whisper.

"Felicity…" Oliver responded warily.

"Hi! _HI_?! You've been gone for almost a month and you open with 'Hi'!" Felicity's mind had finally caught up to the situation in front of her and she was angry. Felicity turned and stepped into her apartment and Oliver followed, closing the door behind him.

"I know. I…" Oliver began.

"You know? You were dead Oliver. We thought you were dead!" Felicity interrupted.

"I was closer to death than you could even imagine. I wanted to call you every day to tell you I was alive, but I wasn't exactly in cell service range, Felicity. I came back as soon as I could. You weren't at the Foundry when I arrived. Diggle thought you'd be here," Oliver said without a trace of defensiveness in his voice. Felicity took a deep breath to steady herself. Her cleansing breath made her anger give way to wide-sweeping relief. Oliver was alive. Not only was he alive, but he was home in Starling City, with her.

When Felicity stayed silent, Oliver continued, "If I could have come home or contacted you right away, I would have. It kills me that you believed I was dead." Felicity raised an eyebrow at Oliver. "Okay, poor choice of words. You know I'd never want to cause you grief or pain. I'm so sorry." Oliver concluded apologetically. After a short pause, Oliver finished with, "I thought of you every day when I was stuck there healing. I was regaining my strength to make it home to you."

"What happened? Are you okay?" Felicity inquired.

"I'm okay, more or less. Let's just say my duel with Ra's did not go well. I was lucky. I was more than lucky," said Oliver.

"You know that's not good enough, right?" Felicity chastised.

"Yes, I do. I'll tell you everything later. I truly will. For now, I just had to see you," admitted Oliver.

"Why?" Felicity asked hesitantly. She knew Oliver's propensity for taking the weight of the world upon himself and sacrificing his own happiness in misguided attempts to protect the people he loved. She was sure she knew what was coming. Oliver was going to end things before they even began. He was going to push her away, again, and say it was for her own good. She prepared herself for the oncoming blow that would surely crush her even more than she had already been crushed.

"You kept me alive. You were my last thought before I fell to what I was sure was my death. When I awoke alive, my thoughts of you gave me the will to live. You're reason I lived to come home," Oliver said with a sincerity that nearly floored Felicity. It was nothing close to what she thought he'd say, but she knew he wasn't done speaking.

"Why do I get the feeling there's a 'but' coming?" she said waiting for the impending heartbreak.

"No 'but'. I love you, pure and simple. When I woke up I realized that I never want to live without you. Never again. I know I said I couldn't be with someone I could really care about, but the fact is I don't 'really care about' you. I love you. Living without you isn't an option," Oliver confessed. "I'll take you any way I can get you. I don't expect you to welcome me home with open arms after I hurt you so badly. I don't expect you to feel the same way about me either. I just know I need you," he continued.

Felicity remained completely immobile where she was. She knew she should still be angry. He had hurt them all so badly. Even though the rational part of her brain was still screaming for answers and furious at his behavior, her emotions were entirely filled with joy. A love blossomed in her heart so full that she couldn't even find the right expression to match it.

She looked into his eyes with an intensity she'd never felt before. "I can't live without you either. You've helped me find the person I'm supposed to be," she said earnestly. Felicity then spoke the three words she had been so scared to before. "I love you," Felicity said ardently.

The space between them vanished with the confident strides Oliver took toward Felicity.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** This is my first attempt at a lemon. If it's awful, I apologize. I tried. It's also really long. I hope that's okay. Let me know what you think of it, whether you love it, hate it, or anything in between.

**~`**`~ Felicity ~`**`~**

Oliver sighed, "Felicity," as he gently grabbed both sides of her face, pulling her face close to him. He kissed Felicity with a devotion that she could feel down to her bones. The kiss was gentle and sweet. Oliver pulled away and gazed with wonder into Felicity's eyes. She had no idea what reflected back into his. She was marveling at the perfection of the moment. The kiss had been a religious experience for her. The aura of love that hung around both of them made it all the more glorious.

When Oliver removed his large hands from where they were on either side of her face, she almost sighed with disappointment. Oliver slowly removed her glasses gently, dropping them to the ground beside him. Felicity couldn't find it in herself to care about his reckless treatment of her glasses. He placed his hand on the side of her neck, reaching his fingers up into the hairline behind her ear. A shudder went through her and she closed her eyes. He put his other hand on her right hip, pulling her gradually toward him.

When she was flush against Oliver's firm body, Felicity opened her eyes. He was staring at her with an adoration that caused her knees to feel weak. Tilting his head, he lowered his face back towards her. Felicity lifted her face to meet his and closed her eyes. Their renewed kiss started passionate but tender. Felicity slid her hands from where they had been resting on his hands to his forearms. She felt his chest move forward in response. Felicity continued to glide her hands up his arms until they were resting on his taught biceps.

Oliver's jaw tightened and he moved forward. His mouth took on a new fervor as their kiss progressed. His mouth opened against Felicity's and she responded in kind. They breathed in each other's breath and Felicity felt Oliver's muscles tense beneath her hands. Unable to restrain herself any more, Felicity slipped her tongue into his warm, wet, mouth. He groaned and slid his tongue into hers. Felicity's heart began to race as their kiss deepened. Their tongues continued to explore each other's mouths, their heads rolling back and forth to give each other new access. Eventually they were pulling slightly away from each other to breathe. Oliver's breaths seem to come in groans and Felicity's were coming in gasps. Their breaks lasted only moments before they would resume their passionate kiss.

Oliver and Felicity pulled each other closer. Their fervent kiss soon began to feel insufficient, and their hands began to explore each other's bodies. She moved her hands from his biceps to his shoulder blades and rib cage, feeling his muscles ripple beneath his shirt as they moved. Oliver moved his hands to the nape of her neck and his other hand to the base of her spine right above where her buttocks started. Neither kept their hands there for long, moving them around slowly, feeling each other through their clothing.

Felicity became like a live wire when Oliver placed his hand on the bare flesh on her back. She slipped her hand slightly under the hem of his shirt and felt a few inches of his skin above the waistband of his jeans with her fingertips. A deep groan rose from the back of his throat in response. Felicity slid her hand further up his t-shirt feeling his taught abs beneath the palm of her hand. Oliver's jaw stiffened and he moved his hands from her hips up her rib cage, his thumbs skimming under her breasts over her clothes.

Felicity ground her body against his involuntarily, willing him to move forward. Oliver registered her desire and slid his hand up to her left breast, cupping it. She pushed her chest forward into his large hand and he rubbed her breast in response. Moaning, Felicity continued to let her fingers explore under Oliver's shirt, feeling the scars on his abdomen, back and shoulders. Oliver shuddered with obvious pleasure. Felicity lifted the hem of his shirt as he palmed one of her breasts and his fingertips traced under the other.

Oliver pulled back and moved to remove his shirt. Felicity continued to lift the heather grey shirt hem as he pulled it off. Once his shirt was off, Felicity pulled her body slightly back from his and laced her fingers through the belt loops in his jeans. She gazed at his body. It never ceased to astonish her. Somehow his many heinous scars and tattoos made him all the more beautiful. She noticed a newly healed pink horizontal line under his right pectoral muscle and another vertical gash on his left side above his hip. She knew they must have been injuries sustained during his duel with Ra's al Ghul. Felicity extricated her fingers from his belt loops and moved to walk around to his back to examine it. Oliver stood still, seeming to know what she was doing. When Oliver's back came into her view, Felicity immediately noticed another pink horizontal line under his shoulder blade in line with the wound on his front. It was obvious the sword that Malcolm had brought Felicity had entirely penetrated Oliver's body and the blade tip exited Oliver's his back.

Felicity moved back to Oliver's front and looked at his face. He was visibly wary. She knew he was worried about her reaction to seeing his new injuries. She now knew he hadn't been exaggerating when he said he was closer to death than she could have imagined. Leaning her head down to his torso, Felicity kissed along the freshly formed scar on his chest. She moved her mouth and hands across Oliver's body kissing and caressing every scar she saw.

She shifted away from Oliver's body and looked at his face to register his response at her actions. A look in his eyes that she couldn't identify was intently staring into her own. Felicity placed her right hand over Oliver's heart. He smiled and placed his hands on her hips. Oliver rapidly lowered his face back down and kissed Felicity violently, moving his mouth down her jaw and neck.

Pleasure continued to build in Felicity with every move his mouth made. When Felicity slid her hand down from over Oliver's heart, she grazed his nipple. She felt his body give a excited jolt at the contact. She brought her right palm back up to his nipple and moved her left finger tips over to his other one. He ground himself against her and she could feel his arousal growing against her abdomen.

When Oliver's mouth reached her collar bone, he slipped his tongue out of his mouth and gently licked along it while beginning to suck at her skin. His left hand moved to roll her nipple through her clothing while his right hand palmed her buttocks.

Felicity's breaths started coming in fast, deep gasps. Moving her mouth to his chest, she sucked on Oliver's hard nipple while clumsily trying to undo the button and zipper to his pants. Her fingers were not fast enough to meet her desire.

When he felt her hands move to try to remove his pants, Oliver became equally as eager as her. He slipped his left hand under the front of the skirt to her pink dress, pulling at the front of her underwear on her right hip. His right hand smoothly undid the zipper on the back of her dress.

Felicity abandoned her ministrations on his chest and focused all her attention on removing his pants. After finally successfully unfastening his pants, Felicity began to try to pull them down while Oliver slid her dress down her shoulders. Felicity stopped pulling at Oliver's pants and stepped back to let her dress fall down to her ankles. She stood in front of Oliver naked, except for her pale blue cotton underwear.

Upon seeing her, Oliver seemed to feel the same rush of need Felicity had been feeling. He frantically bent down to remove his sturdy shoes and socks. Felicity marveled at how even his feet were beautiful. Scarred yet strong, like the rest of him. He then quickly removed his pants and underwear in one fell swoop with a grace that was incredible to see.

Felicity had seen him partially naked many times and imagined him naked so many others. Nothing lived up to the truth. He was simply glorious to look at. He was strong and self-assured. Felicity expected to feel nervous in return after seeing him because of everything that had gone on between them, but she felt only desired and loved. She looked up from him to his face and saw him watching her with obvious desire. When she looked into his eyes she saw an intensity of love that she was sure matched her own.

She stepped forward and pushed herself against him. Her breasts were firmly against his chest and her abdomen against his arousal. She could feel he was up to his full height. She was growing more aroused as well with every passing moment.

Oliver reached up and slid the elastic band out of her blonde hair, letting her thick hair tumble down to above her breasts. He moved his hand down her back to her backside, sliding his hand under her underwear and massaging her naked buttock. Felicity pushed her chest forward into his in response. Oliver glided his other fingers over her sex through the front of her underwear. She was trembling with pleasure.

Moving upward, he slipped his fingers through the elastic band, fisting her underwear and pulling it hard. He moved his finger torturously slow through the hair above her sex while his other hand continued to knead her rear. She moved her right fingers down his abdomen to his own hair in response while her left hand rested on his hipbone. She leaned forward with her mouth and ran her lips across his nipple.

He gasped and she felt his long finger enter her. She let out a long groan with an exhale and threw her head back. She continued her downward path with her own fingers as he moved in her over and over. She cried out with pleasure when his palm hit her clitoris. She grabbed the top of his stiff and ready length firmly in response. He let out almost a primal growl.

Oliver's strong hand ripped through Felicity's underwear, shredding them. He tossed them aside and quickly lifted her up in his arms. Resting her elbows against Oliver's shoulders, Felicity wrapped her legs around Oliver's torso.

Felicity knew they'd never make it to the bedroom so she whispered, "Couch," in Oliver's ear, causing him to shiver. As he carried her with powerful strides across the room to the awaiting couch, she licked his neck and ran his fingers through his short hair.

She felt Oliver stop walking and knew they had made it to the couch. She unwrapped her legs from around him and he slid her down his body, placing her on the floor. Felicity sat down on the edge of her large couch and looked into Oliver's eyes. She saw no trepidation or hesitation. Felicity lowered herself down onto the couch as Oliver watched spellbound. As she laid down, she reached to take Oliver's hand and he placed his rough warm hand in hers.

Oliver leaned over Felicity and gradually moved to hover over her prostrate and eager body. He placed one hand on the back of the couch by Felicity's side and rested his other hand and forearm next to Felicity's head. Oliver lifted himself and hovered his body parallel to Felicity. He stared into Felicity's eyes as their faces nearly touched. "I love you," he said earnestly. "I love you," she replied with all the sincerity in her heart.

Oliver lowered himself down to her without placing his substantial body weight on her. She could feel his need was as great as her own in that moment. Oliver kissed her softly and with adoration. She could feel he was right at her entrance and she spread her legs further, spurring him on. She let her right leg fall to the floor, placing the sole of her foot flat against the floor in anticipation.

Deepening their kiss, Oliver slowly entered Felicity. She arched her back off the couch in utter pleasure, pushing him deeper inside of her. Oliver moved his mouth from Felicity's and onto her jaw. He pivoted his hips rotating his erection inside of her. She moaned at the feeling.

Oliver began to move at a delicious unhurried pace while kissing Felicity with a tender fervor. Felicity let her fingers trail his collar bones, nipples, muscles, and every scar she could feel. As their lovemaking continued, she began to feel a heat under her skin that reminded her of lava. She wrapped her legs around Oliver, pushing him deeper inside of her. She was amazed by the fullness she felt. It was beyond bliss. She was meeting him with enthusiasm.

Oliver's rhythm increased and he was entering her with vigor. Felicity's pleasure was increasing every moment. Their lovemaking was becoming almost frenzied. They moved together with passion, Felicity's cries and Oliver's grunts of pleasure becoming more frequent. She was beginning to think she was going to burst from the sensory overload. She gripped onto Oliver's shoulder blades, feeling the muscles move beneath her hands with each of his thrusts. She sucked on Oliver's ear, eliciting a deep rumble from his chest.

She could feel she was moments away. Her head started to flail back and forth of its own accord. Felicity closed her eyes, absorbing every passing moment. She felt Oliver prop himself up on his hand and forearm that was by the side of her head. His other hand trailed itself down her body. When his fingers found her clitoris, he circled it. Felicity cried out an involuntary, "Oh god," in response. Oliver teased her clitoris again and again, eliciting more and more cries of pleasure and deep moans from her. Oliver began to move relentlessly, moaning as well.

She could feel herself quivering around Oliver with every thrust he made in her. He pressed his lips to hers. She opened her lips and his tongue plundered her mouth. When his teeth grazed her lip, Felicity fell apart at the seams. Her back arched off the couch with a strangled cry of pleasure. She gripped onto his shoulders with a strength she didn't know she had while her insides clenched around him over and over. Her orgasm seemed to stretch on and on. With a deep groan of his own, Oliver stiffened and stilled as Felicity felt him spilling into her.

When Oliver had finished his own orgasm, he collapsed onto Felicity. He laid his head on her chest, but kept the full weight of his body off her. Their breathing was ragged as they both came down from their post-orgasmic high. Oliver looked up from where his head had been laid on Felicity's chest. They stayed connected, just staring into each other's eyes with awe. "I love you," Felicity whispered. "And I love you," Oliver replied sincerely.


	7. Chapter 7

**~`^`~ Oliver ~`^`~**

Oliver had never felt such bliss in his entire life. He knew then and there that his and Felicity's relationship was most definitely more meaningful and powerful than every other relationship he had ever had. He ran his nose up her neck and inhaled her sent enthusiastically. She sighed with pleasure in response. Oliver could feel how overcome Felicity was with joy and it made him happy in return.

Felicity closed her eyes and gave a small smile. Exhaustion had definitely hit her. Night had finally fallen and it was obvious she needed sleep. Wrapping his limbs around her, Oliver grabbed the blanket off from the back of the couch where they were laid. Felicity curled her body against his as Oliver covered both of their naked bodies with the blanket. Content and happy, both of them relaxed.

After they had both been asleep for a few hours, Oliver was woken by Felicity murmuring in her sleep, "Hmmm. Oliver. No. Oliver." Her sleep was obviously fitful. The frown line between her eyes was apparent and she unconsciously pulled him closer to her. Oliver gently brushed his lips against her forehead and he felt her relax as a result.

After falling asleep for a few more hours, Oliver woke to a bright living room. Felicity was lying next to him on the couch, staring at him. "Good morning," she said with a smile. "Good morning," he replied back with a sleepy smile of his own. As Oliver kissed Felicity's neck her stomach gave a loud growl. She hid her head, obviously embarrassed.

"Breakfast," Oliver commanded.

"It's closer to lunch, actually," teased Felicity back.

Oliver groaned and rubbed his hand across his face. "I wish we didn't need to get up," said Oliver tiredly.

"Me too," admitted Felicity.

"Okay. Shower, then brunch," Felicity said.

"Done," Oliver grinned, standing up from the couch and pulling Felicity with him. Oliver grabbed their clothes off the floor in the living room and placed his hand in Felicity's. They walked slowly to Felicity's bedroom clothes-in-arm. He dropped both of their clothes on an obliging chair in Felicity's room as they continued to walk hand-in-hand toward her bathroom.

Felicity's bathroom was relatively small. She had a phone booth shower and an aged-looking bathtub next to it. Felicity opened the shower glass door and reached into the shower to turn on the hot water. After having decided the water temperature was ideal, Felicity turned to Oliver. "Join me?" she asked. Oliver didn't need words to respond. He grinned, following Felicity into the stream of hot water. Oliver closed the shower door behind him and moved in closely to Felicity. The water spilled over both of them in the small confines of the shower. Oliver pressed his chest against Felicity's bare back. She sighed and sagged against him in delight. He moved himself forward and he could feel his dick pushed firmly against her rear. He sighed with frustration when Felicity turned to face him.

Felicity grabbed a bottle of shower gel and handed it to Oliver. It smelled musky and somehow slightly floral. It must be the reason Felicity always smelled so good. Felicity ran some more water through her thick blonde hair then turned to a large bottle that had been sitting next to the shower gel. She pumped many pumps of a solid white cream into her hand and began to massage into her hair. It smelled like green tea and gardenias. When Felicity had completed the routine with her hair, Oliver put a small amount of shower gel into his hand and rubbed his palms together. Felicity mirrored his motion, getting the body cleanser to lather as well.

With foam covering his hands, Oliver reached over to Felicity and began to spread the body wash on her wet skin. Felicity moved forward to do the same to him. Oliver glided his hands over her torso, probably spending more time than necessary on her breasts. Felicity dragged her hands across Oliver's chest, tracing each one of his scars, the tattoo given to him by John Constantine and the other representing his position in the Russian mob. After finishing washing her arms and neck, Oliver grasped her and awkwardly tried to wash her back while she was facing him. He continued to do the same on her buttocks, kneading them softly. Felicity moved her hands up and down his neck and arms, obviously reveling in the feel of his sculpted muscles that he worked so hard to cultivate.

Oliver bent down and slid his hands up and around Felicity's legs, drinking in how beautiful they were. He saw her muscles begin to tremble when he was washing her inner thighs. He slowly brought his hand up to her sex and palmed it swiftly. Though he had barely touched her, she inhaled sharply in response. When he was done washing her, Felicity indicated with her finger that Oliver should turn around. He awkwardly twisted 180 degrees in the cramped shower, his back now facing Felicity. He felt her squirt more shower gel into her palm. She started to massage the foam into his back muscles and down his ribcage. When she reached his backside, he felt her kneel onto the floor behind him. She firmly massaged his rear end. Sighs of delight kept coming from him.

Oliver felt Felicity's hands move steadily down his long powerful legs and to his feet. "Turn," she said when she was finished. When he turned back around to face her, he found Felicity facing his substantial length. He had grown under her massage, and he knew she could tell he desired her this way. Felicity ran her still foamy hands up and down his length and into the hair above it. He closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of her small deft fingers.

When he shifted his weight, the water streamed down both of their bodies, effectively rinsing off all of their body wash. When their skin was rinsed and clean, Oliver looked into Felicity's eyes from where she still knelt on the shower floor. He thought she looked slightly hesitant but determined. She gripped him firmly, leaned forward and opened up her lips, hovering over his tip. She slowly slid him into her hot mouth. Oliver sucked air through his teeth harshly as a result. He could feel Felicity drawing back on his dick and moving forward again. She had sheathed her teeth and had her mouth pressed against him firmly with every movement. She drew him in and he felt himself hit the back of her throat.

"Ahh," moaned Oliver, gripping the wet shower walls. Felicity started drawing him into her mouth and pulling back out with greater confidence. Her tongue swirled up and down him with her every motion and she sucked him hard when she moved back towards the tip of his erection.

He continued to hit the back of her throat every time she moved her mouth forward. His pleasure was building higher and higher every moment. She firmly fondled his backside. He moaned in satisfaction. Felicity moved her left hand up to his the hair above his dick. She brought him deeply into her throat again and tugged roughly on his pubic hair. With that he dove off the edge. Unintentionally pushing himself further into her throat, he stilled and felt himself cum into her willing mouth.

After he had finished, Felicity withdrew him from her mouth. She licked and sucked his skin up his torso as she got back to her feet. She reached his collar bone and began sucking even harder. Oliver lowered his mouth to hers and began kissing her intensely. He could taste his salty flavor on her when he slid his tongue into her mouth. She was amazing.

After rinsing her hair, Felicity turned off the water and opened the shower doors with Oliver following close behind. Felicity squeezed the water out of her hair, soaking the carpet floor mat under her feet in the process. She ran her fingers through her still saturated hair, letting it fall around her breasts.

Oliver watched her intently. As she went to reach for the towels hanging on the wall, Oliver saw the beads of water streaming from her hair, down her breasts, clinging to her nipples, sliding down her abdomen, and then dampening the hair between her legs, causing it to glisten with the moisture. Before Felicity could even reach the towels, Oliver took two powerful steps toward her, grabbing and kissing her firmly.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** This is the last lemony chapter before returning to actual plot. Would you prefer more or less lemons? Would you rather them be one psychotically long chapter as opposed to being broken-down into shorter (but still really long) chapters like I have been doing? Any feedback would be great- even if it's just to tell me you hate the lemons and I need to stop writing them.

**~`^`~ Oliver ~`^`~**

Oliver hoisted Felicity's still wet body into his arms and took the few steps back into her bedroom. He threw her gently in the air, causing her to land splayed and soaking in the middle of her bed with an endearing giggle. Oliver stood at the foot of the bed and looked at the smiling and naked Felicity lying in front of him. He grabbed her hips and pulled her roughly towards the edge of the bed where he stood, eliciting another laugh from her. He lined Felicity's rear up with the edge of the bed and let her legs hang off the edge, her toes on the floor in front of him. Oliver kneeled on the floor facing the bed. His body was directly in front of her bent legs.

"I am hungry," Oliver said mischievously. Felicity propped herself up on her elbows to watch what he was doing. Oliver spread her legs wide, splaying her sex in all its naked glory in front of him. He skimmed his fingertips slowly along the inside of both of her legs from her ankles up her calves. Felicity stared into his eyes, her breaths coming in faster.

Oliver's fingers reached her inner thighs and he bent his head down toward her. He kissed one of her inner thighs and then the next. He felt her muscles tense beneath him as he continued to kiss and lick up her right hip, his fingers massaging her left hip. He ran his tongue above the hair over her sex and she gave a soft sigh of pleasure. He continued down, running his nose through her hair, inhaling her intoxicating scent.

He froze in place. He wanted to do this so badly, but he didn't know if she even wanted it. Just as he was about to voice his concerns, he looked up at her face and she whispered a quiet and sincere, "Yes," answering his unspoken question.

Emboldened, Oliver ran his nose along her folds on each side of her entrance, continuing to inhale her in. She gave a soft hum and shifted her hips, spurring him forward. He leaned forward and let his tongue exit his mouth. He did a slow lick from the base of her opening to her clitoris. She gave a small gasp of pleasure in response.

He slid his tongue back down and let it enter her. She gave a deep moan in response. He could taste her arousal on his tongue. She was beyond delicious. He could gladly camp here for the rest of his life. He moved his tongue in and out of her, licking her inner walls as he did. Felicity continued to gasp in response. Sliding his tongue out of her, Oliver let it trail upward to the bundle of nerves at the top of her sex. He took the fingers on his right hand and gently pulled her folds back to give him greater access to her clitoris.

Oliver shifted away from Felicity's opening and lifted her legs up, resting one of her feet on each of his shoulders and spreading her legs wider. He licked her right inner thigh and then her left while his left hand held down her right hip.

He lowered his face back down to her and lightly blew on her clitoris. He felt her stiffen beneath his hands. Leaning in more, he swirled his tongue around her bundle of nerves confidently. A soft moan escaped her lips. He circled his tongue around her clitoris again and sucked the sensitive bundle of nerves into his mouth, pulling at it ever so gently with his lips. She gave a great moan when he began his assault on her clitoris with his tongue again.

He could feel her hips unconsciously moving against his mouth as he continued. His mouth was completely covered in her arousal now, and he savored the taste. Oliver glanced up and could see Felicity's wet hair fanned around her and her eyes tightly shut. Her right hand palmed her own breast, pulling at her nipple firmly. Oliver moaned at the sight. She was uninhibited and that brought joy to Oliver. He was elated to know he could bring her such pleasure. Oliver took his right hand from her hip, skimmed it up her thigh, and let his long index finger enter her.

"Oh god," Felicity cried out with pleasure, pushing herself further onto his mouth and on to his finger. He began to slowly move his finger back and forth inside her. He could feel how loose and relaxed her inner walls were. He circled his finger inside her and she gave a low breathy moan. Extricating his finger from inside her, Oliver added in a second finger. He moved his fingers inside her as his tongue continued to flick at her bundle of nerves.

Oliver pushed his fingers all the way into Felicity and curled them towards himself, as if to beckon her forward. She cried out and fisted her hands in the bed's comforter as he hit her g-spot repeatedly. She moved her hips more and more, forcing his fingers deeper inside of her with every thrust of his fingers and movement of his tongue. Mewling cries started to erupt from her chest.

The fingers on Felicity's right hand wound themselves into Oliver's damp hair as her left hand continued to grab at the bed sheets. Felicity held Oliver's head in place as he continued the unrelenting pace of his tongue and fingers.

"Oh. Oliver," Felicity gasped. Oliver could feel the walls inside her start to quiver. He knew she was moments away. He thrust his fingers into her firmly and sucked her clitoris into his mouth again, pulling at it almost roughly with his lips.

With a long exaggerated moan, Oliver saw Felicity arch her back off the bed, squeeze her eyes closed tightly, and fist her fingers in his hair roughly. She clamped herself around his fingers violently over and over. Oliver continued to move inside her and lick her clitoris until he felt she had ridden out her orgasm.

Collapsing against the bed, Felicity relaxed completely. Oliver removed his coated fingers from her, and sucked off the remaining fluid as she watched him astonished. Oliver moved up from between her legs. He licked and kissed his way up her body. He let his tongue plunder her navel and felt her body stiffen in response. He continued up and sucked her right nipple into his mouth and pulled at it with his teeth. She gave a sated exhale in response. He licked her collar bone and neck, before reaching her ear. He pulled it into his mouth and bit it gently. She moaned in return. Oliver could tell how satisfied Felicity was at that moment, and it thrilled him. He kissed her deeply, spreading her own arousal in and around her own mouth. He would never get used to this.


	9. Chapter 9

**~`**`~ Felicity ~`**`~**

Felicity hummed with satisfaction. "Whew. So much for the shower," Felicity laughed. Oliver lay naked on his side next to her. He smiled at her with what almost seemed like a smug grin.

"I wouldn't mind going back in, if you want to," Oliver said with a wink. Felicity rolled her eyes and said, "I think I'm okay. Unless I smell, that is."

Oliver placed his face on her breast, "Hmmm. Let me see," inhaling deeply. He turned his face and let his teeth graze her left nipple. Her breath hitched in her chest. She felt his facial hair scratch against her skin in the most delicious way as he continued his path up her body, inhaling through his nose in an exaggerated fashion. When he reached the middle of her neck he stopped and kissed it softly. "No. You smell amazing as always," Oliver said sincerely.

Felicity gave a small scoff and moved to stand up from the bed, Oliver following behind. She turned to look at the bed and saw an enormous water mark that looked like a Rorschach ink blot test on her comforter. She laughed at the sight.

"At least it's just water," she said. "Next time towels first."

"Next time? That has potential," Oliver said with a small smile.

Felicity made her way over to her dresser to grab a bra and underwear. She looked for one of the few matching sets she owned. She decided on a satin amethyst number and put it on. She looked over and saw Oliver sliding on the boxer briefs that he'd abandoned on the chair a little earlier. She knew it'd be ridiculous to ask him to just walk around in his underwear the rest of the day, but she sure liked to look at him. She walked over to her closet and picked the first dress she saw. It was royal blue, sleeveless, and short. She'd definitely need to remember her cardigan before leaving.

Felicity turned to ask Oliver to zip her dress and saw to her delight that he had donned his pants, but chose to remain shirtless. Her face must have looked greedy, because a knowing grin spread across his. Grabbing the wide-tooth comb on her dresser, Felicity ran it through her merely damp tresses. She decided she was presentable enough and headed towards her small kitchen with Oliver in tow.

When they reached the kitchen, Oliver pulled out a chair at the small table and commanded, "Sit." She did so without complaint, but remained curious. Felicity watched as Oliver made his way through the kitchen. He started glancing in every cupboard and drawer in front of him. She knew she should take pity on him and ask what he was looking for so she could tell him where it was, but she was having too much fun watching him not be adept at something for once.

Abandoning the cabinets, Oliver turned to the refrigerator. He looked inside it and got a sour look on his face. She was sure the reason he looked cross was because of how little food she actually had in her place. He reached in and extricated a white bag from the refrigerator, setting it on the counter. After he shut the refrigerator, he smiled and held up the Big Belly Burger bag to her. She chuckled and nodded, letting him know that it would be a suitable meal. He turned back to her cabinets to where he obviously remembered where her plates were. He pulled down 2 plates and pilled them with equal portions of food. Felicity knew there would be no way that she could eat half a buger and all the fries he piled on her plate, but she let Oliver continue unhindered. She'd pawn off anything she couldn't eat on him. He turned to the microwave and reheated both plates of food. Seeming proud of himself, Oliver turned and carried the plates of food to the table with Felicity. "Water?" Oliver asked as he set the plates down in front of Felicity.

"Sure," she replied. Oliver turned back to the cabinets and went in search of water glasses. "Next cabinet on the right," Felicity said as Oliver went to open the wrong cabinet. Stopping himself, he pulled two glasses out of the correct cupboard and filled them with water from the filter attached to her water faucet. He carried both glasses of water back with him to the table and sat down next to Felicity.

"Thank you," Felicity told Oliver. "You're welcome. Eat," he replied. They ate in comfortable silence, Felicity becoming full before her burger half was gone. She slid her plate with her remaining food in front of Oliver. He graciously accepted, finishing both his and Felicity's portions.

"We should head to the Foundry. There are things I need to tell you, Dig, and Roy," Oliver stated sounding faintly grim. Felicity tried to not let her imagination run away with her as a result.

"Sounds good. Let me finish getting ready and we'll head out," Felicity said rising from the table. "I have a spare toothbrush in my bathroom if you want it." Felicity informed Oliver.

"Thanks, I do. Lead the way." Oliver said, following Felicity to her bathroom.

Felicity put her car into park just as Oliver pulled his Ducati in beside her. Felicity exited her car and waited for Oliver to finish dismounting his bike and removing his helmet. They walked into Verdant side by side and headed to the back to the stairs that lead to the basement. Oliver unlocked the security door by pressing "1-4-1" and "enter". When they descended into the lair, they saw the lights were already on and they could hear Diggle and Roy talking quietly.

"You're here early," Oliver stated.

"Yeah, we got used to spending a lot of time here while you were gone. By the way, Thea is being a real pain about this whole Oliver-spent-a-few-weeks-in-jail-and-told-no-one thing. We may have a problem with her. She said something about talking to Ned Foster," Roy informed Oliver.

"I'm not surprised. It just seemed like the most reasonable lie at the time. It's not as if I could tell her the truth. We'll deal with that if it becomes a problem later," Oliver conceded.

"What's up, Oliver? We're thrilled you're back, man, but it's unlike you to call us in like this unless something is going on. Is something going on?" Dig asked, confusion and concern lacing his voice.

"Yes, Dig, something is going on. I need to explain something," Oliver began, moving away from Felicity so he could face all of them together as a group. "I haven't told you all much about what happened while I was in Hong Kong. Well, one of the members of the League that has been here… I knew him. I knew his family. I lived with them."

"You know a member of the League other than Sara?" Diggle asked.

"Yes and no. I knew Maseo Yamashiro in Hong Kong, but something happened and he left. He found the League and became Sarab in the same way the Sara became Ta-er al-Asfer," Oliver answered.

The group stayed quiet so Oliver continued, "Maseo is who rescued me after my duel with Ra's al Ghul. He found me and took me to his wife Tatsu. She kept me from dying. As I recovered and made plans to leave, Maseo told me something all of you should be aware of." The entire group shifted forward sensing the importance of what Oliver was about to say. Felicity couldn't help but be afraid. There was something about Oliver's countenance that was making her deeply unnerved.

"There's a prophecy within the League that says the person who survives the sword of Ra's al Ghul will become Ra's al Ghul," Oliver finished seriously. Felicity wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but she could feel a thrill of electricity in the air that told her it was nothing good.

"So, what? Because you didn't die, Maseo thinks you'll become Ra's al Ghul because of some prophecy?" Roy asked.

"It's not what Maseo believes. It's what Ra's believes. Maseo told me that when Ra's al Ghul discovers I'm still alive, he will send League members to Starling in an attempt to force me to take up his mantle and become his successor," replied Oliver.

"So we'll be ready," Diggle said without hesitance.

"It's not that simple. Even if we're prepared to face them, Maseo told me that Ra's will have given the League orders to do whatever is necessary to get me to agree to become the next Ra's. That includes destroy Starling City or turn it so far against me that I have nowhere else to turn. People will suffer," Oliver said obviously trying to relay its significance.

"So what do we do?" Felicity spoke for the first time. Her voice came out much more sure sounding than she actually felt.

"There's only one thing I can do. When Ra's finds out I'm alive, he will come to Starling City with a contingent of League members to share his proposal for me to take his place. The only thing I'll be able to do is accept his offer," finished Oliver desolately.

"What?! No, man. There is no way in hell we're letting you turn yourself over to that psycho!" said Diggle forcefully.

"Agreed. We'll think of another way, Oliver. We can protect the city," Roy agreed.

Felicity stood silent. She was completely immobile. Everything about this situation was wrong.

"The fact is that the longer I reject his offer, the more people the League will murder and the more likely it will be that Ra's discovers Thea actually murdered Sara. I don't have a choice. I do have a plan though," Oliver continued, trying to comfort the group.

"It better be one hell of a plan," said Roy without any confidence.

"Maseo doesn't want the League life for me any more than I want to be Ra's. He has agreed to help me dismantle the League of Assassins from within. I suspect he does not want to survive the process. Maseo is truly broken. I think he sees this as repaying a debt," Oliver said with sadness.

"What happened, Oliver?" Felicity asked hesitantly.

"Amanda Waller had recruited me for a mission in Hong Kong. It went badly and Maseo and Tatsu's son, Akio, died as a result. That is what made Maseo into Sarab," Oliver said with finality.

"I still say this is a bad plan," Roy said. "How do you know that Ra's simply won't kill you or Maseo turn back on his promise to help you?"

"I don't. The fact is the decision is already made. It's not up for debate. I'm just informing you all. I'm not sure how long we have," Oliver said conclusively.

"No," Felicity whispered under her breath. She wasn't even sure she spoke it loud enough for any of them to hear. She glared at the floor suppressing angry tears that budded at the corners of her eyes. Oliver had just gotten back and now he was going off on what was probably a suicide mission. No discussion. No consultation. He was going even after everything that had happened between them.

Felicity turned on her heel and headed back up the metal stairs. She had to get out. She couldn't do this again. "Felicity?" She heard Diggle call after her. She didn't pause or respond in any way. She just continued out of the basement to escape the situation. She could feel Oliver on her heels, but she didn't stop or acknowledge him in any way.

When she exited Verdant, she heard Oliver cautiously say, "Felicity," behind her. She turned aggressively to face him. "Did you know all along? Have you known you were going to do this since you got back or did you just decide? I ask if _you_ decided because it looks like none of us are getting any say in the matter! You just got back! Now you're going to run off again to face a guy who just killed you. Don't worry though, it'll be different this time because you may or may not have help and you're going to be sneaky! Do you know what? I can't. I just can't." She threw up her hands in frustration and exasperation.

Felicity twisted back around, wrenching open her car door and slamming it behind her before Oliver could respond. Felicity started her car and spun out of the Verdant parking area at an unsafe speed. As she continued down the road she was relieved to see that Oliver wasn't following her. Felicity slowed to a safe speed and continued to drive, listening for the roar of the Ducati. It thankfully remained absent.


	10. Chapter 10

**~`**`~ Felicity ~`**`~**

Felicity sat at her desk at Palmer Technologies and continued looking over design proposals. She was grateful for the distraction and had been feeling herself calm down more and more as time passed. Even though she felt calmer, Felicity couldn't escape the worry and sadness that clung onto her heart. She had just gotten Oliver back against all the odds and now he was choosing to go away again. Just like he chose to go battle Ra's al Ghul for Thea.

"Hey. Am I interrupting anything?" came Ray's voice from her doorway.

"No. Come in, of course. What can I do?" Felicity offered.

"I've hit some road blocks with a nano chip design I was working on. I was wondering if you'd have a look at it," Ray said.

"Of course I'll look at it. I can't promise to be helpful though. You bring it with you?" she asked.

Ray nodded and handed her a USB drive. She plugged it into her computer and let the schematics load. She pulled up each one slowly, looking at them intently. "These are pretty complex. What do you want to use it for?" she inquired.

"It has multiple applications, but for my current purposes… the A.T.O.M suit I mentioned," Ray admitted, hesitantly.

"Wow. Ray…" Felicity started warily, but was interrupted by a knock on her office door. She looked up to see Oliver standing there patiently waiting. "Can I get back to you once I've had a moment with them?" Felicity asked.

"Sure, of course. I appreciate the help," Ray said.

Felicity's eyes hadn't left Oliver's. He was obviously uncertain. "Ray, can I have a minute?" Felicity stated more than asked Ray. Ray turned and saw Oliver standing in the doorway behind him. "Sure. Let me know what you think," he replied.

Oliver stepped into Felicity's office and took Ray's offered hand. "Good to see you, Oliver."

"Good to see you, Ray," Oliver replied genuinely. Felicity watched as Ray exited her office and was immediately stopped by another employee who engaged him in conversation. Felicity turned her attention to Oliver once the door had closed. "I don't like how we left things," Oliver said.

"Neither do I. It doesn't change that I meant what I said," Felicity admitted.

"I know. I don't want to do this, Felicity. You must believe that," Oliver said walking toward her.

Felicity stood up and moved to the front of her desk. She looked at the floor. She wasn't sure she could hold off the hysterics that threatened her if she looked into Oliver's eyes again. He moved closer to her until she could see by his shoes that he was standing right in front of her.

"Felicity. Look at me, please," Oliver said, weaving his fingers through hers.

Felicity whispered, "I can't cry in this office. Not again." She felt Oliver unlock his fingers from hers and lift them up to her chin. He slowly tilted her face up to look at him. When their eyes met, she saw fear and trepidation swimming in his. She thought her own eyes probably reflected something similar. Oliver took his fingers from underneath her chin and weaved them back in with her own. They were standing so close together their bodies were nearly touching.

"Felicity, I have to do this. I don't have a choice. But know this, I'll always come back to you. I can't do this without you," Oliver admitted. Felicity closed her eyes and let his words wash over her. She knew it was true, but she also knew this was going to destroy her.

"I can't do this again, Oliver. You don't know," Felicity said, hoping it imparted some of the hopelessness, fear, and desperation she felt.

Oliver moved forward and wrapped his arms around her, pressing his lips to her forehead. Felicity gripped onto his biceps. He pulled back from the gentle kiss on her forehead and just stared into her eyes. She could see the battle raging behind them.

"I can't lose you," he said fervently. Felicity sighed and replied, "Then don't. You will survive this, because if you don't… I can't. Do you understand?" Felicity implored. Oliver nodded and pulled away from Felicity, gripping her hands once again.

"I'll let you get back to work. I'm headed to see Thea. See at the Foundry tonight?" Oliver asked hopefully. "Of course. Oh my god!" Felicity gasped.

"What? What's wrong?" Oliver asked nervously.

"I need you to do me a favor. Go sit in my desk chair," Felicity instructed. Oliver obeyed. "Feel under my desk, but don't look." Oliver's brow crinkled in confusion, but he did as he was asked. "Do you feel something strange under there?" Oliver nodded in reply.

Felicity bent her head towards his and whispered, "It's the sword from yours and Ra's al Ghul's duel." A look of shock crossed his face. "How?" Oliver asked with genuine curiosity and concern.

"Merlyn," was the only response she needed to give. His face became flat in that way she knew meant he was worried and furious simultaneously. "I've been trying to think of a way to get it out of here for weeks. Any ideas?" Felicity asked, genuinely interested.

"I'll think of something to get it out of here," Oliver promised as he pushed away from behind her desk. Oliver walked toward her and gripped her hands once more, staring deep into her eyes briefly. "I'll see you later?" he asked apprehensively. "Yes," she replied.

He turned to walk away from Felicity but waited until the last possible second to relinquish her hands. She watched him exit her office and walk past Ray Palmer who was still being engaged in conversation outside her office door.

Felicity sat back at her desk and somehow felt a little better about the blade being tucked under her desk. Now that Oliver knew about it and was formulating a way to get it out of there, she was less worried. Plus, knowing it hadn't actually killed Oliver made it no longer seem like a looming malevolent presence. She pulled the schematics for Ray's chip design back up on her computer and poured over them. The nano chip seemed well-designed and would definitely be functional, but it seemed like there had to be a better, more efficient, way to accomplish what Ray was looking to achieve.

Should she even be helping Ray do this? Oliver had had extensive training and she still felt he was reckless at times- his current plans being a perfect example of that. Ray was completely untrained and he had no real idea what the true cost of what he was getting into was. She thought it over long and hard. She may regret it later, but Ray was going to attempt to do what he was doing no matter what. There was nothing she could do to stop him. At least with Felicity involved their might be fewer casualties.

A knock came from her door and she saw Ray standing there, massive frame obscuring the doorway. It seemed the person who had needed to speak to him so badly had finally finished. "Hey, I was looking at the schematics. The chip is good, but there's something not right about it. I can't decide what yet, but I'll keep looking," Felicity said.

"Great. I appreciate it." Ray said, making no motion to move or continue to say something else.

"Is there something else?" Felicity asked.

"You're in love with Oliver Queen," Ray stated.

Felicity paused momentarily and said a heartfelt, "Yes."

"At the beginning I thought you two might've been more than friends. But when you never said anything, I allowed myself to hope… but it's very different seeing the two of you together with your own eyes," Ray said hesitantly.

It slowly occurred to Felicity what she thought Ray was trying to say. He had feelings for her. Felicity had no idea how to feel. Ray was a good man. She should be flattered that someone like him had even entertained the idea of having feelings for her. She found herself feeling kind of embarrassed though. She sincerely hadn't meant to lead him on, but it was Oliver. It was always Oliver.

"I don't even need to ask if he feels the same way about you. That much was obvious," Ray said a little sadly. "Be happy," Ray said turning to exit her office. Apparently thinking better of it, Ray stopped and faced her again, "Once I have the suit working, he'll be sorry if he hurts you." Ray said it in a way she was sure was serious and almost dark for him, but she almost burst out laughing. He had no idea who he was up against.

She attempted to keep her face straight and simply say, "Thanks," in an even voice. Oliver had proven he wasn't immune to jealousy, so telling him about this particular interaction was probably not the best idea. He definitely didn't need to feel threatened by Ray romantically, however, he most certainly would not approve of Ray's A.T.O.M suit plans. What Oliver didn't know wouldn't hurt him.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** I felt like the beginning of this chapter was something important to address. I find it very strange how few fan-fictions (of any genre or ship) address this. I think it is definitely important and something Felicity herself would care about. She's a practical woman, after all.

**~`**`~ Felicity ~`**`~**

Felicity dashed to her car from the pharmacy. She was trying her hardest to avoid the rain that was coming down hard. Felicity always hated having to sit around in soaking wet clothes after she was caught out in heavy rain.

Slamming the door behind her, she situated herself in the driver's seat and threw her bag of merchandise on the seat next to her. She was truly grateful to the pharmacist who had been willing to go through all her questions about the Plan B morning after pill despite the late hour. Felicity wanted to be a parent someday, but certainly not now. It was not the right time for her or for Oliver to take on such a huge responsibility. Felicity had never been careless about birth control before and she chastised herself for not being more conscientious.

She prided herself on being a modern woman, but she still felt slightly strange buying a package of condoms. She had relied on oral contraception herself before, but her previous boyfriends had always been proactive and procured condoms themselves. In Oliver's defense, he and Felicity had not been dating and the reason behind them meeting was far from romantic. Things had progressed last night in a way that she was sure neither of them foresaw, and all she could do now is be smart about the future. Despite her frustration at Oliver and the situation he had gotten himself into, she knew she still desired him too much to not be prepared for future romantic trysts with him. She'd have to broach the topic of getting tested with Oliver now too. She knew he had changed greatly in the past 8 years, but she was not disillusioned about his past behavior in his love life by any means. He'd probably be surprised to learn about of some of her previous behavior that would (ridiculously in her mind) be considered risqué and controversial.

Pulling out of the parking lot cautiously, Felicity drove in the rain toward Verdant. The drive to reach Verdant was thankfully short, so she didn't have to worry about maneuvering the Glades with visibility so greatly reduced. Felicity parked in an area that was out of the way and in close proximity to the secret entrance to the Foundry through Verdant's alleyway. Night had fallen and though it was dark outside, Felicity still shoved the bag with the items she had procured at the pharmacy underneath her passenger seat. It wouldn't do for some passerby to see a pharmacy bag on her seat and then smash her window in the hopes of finding it contained prescription drugs he/she/they could use or sell. The Glades weren't exactly the best neighborhood.

Hurrying to Verdant, Felicity walked quickly through the rain and listened the tell tale thump of Verdant's loud dance music. She noticed that very few people were outside the club thanks to the weather and was glad for it. She always had a nagging worry that someone would spy her coming or going from the secret entrance to the Foundry and get ideas to go exploring to find where she'd been/where she was going. She slipped into Verdant's alleyway entrance and headed down the restricted access stairwell to the lair. She found the lair lit and Oliver and Dig talking quietly in the middle of the room.

"Where's Roy?" Felicity inquired as she took the final steps down the staircase and reached the lair floor.

"He's trying to keep Thea distracted. Let's just say her suspicions about Oliver's mystery incarceration weren't entirely eradicated by Oliver talking to her at the loft tonight," responded Diggle. Felicity genuinely hoped Thea would get over doubts about Oliver's story. They really needed all hands on deck to help with this Ra's al Ghul problem. It wouldn't do well for her to add to their growing list of problems. Hopefully Roy and Oliver could assuage her fears more permanently.

"Okay. What's going on?" Felicity asked both Oliver and Diggle as she removed her wet coat.

"We're discussing strategies and contingency plans," Oliver answered.

"Good. Please tell me your plan consists of more than 'Maseo, or Sarab, or whoever he is is going to help me'," Felicity said not without a trace of disapproval.

Oliver kept his face from reacting and responded, "No, there's more to it. Maseo is vital, but I'm also counting on Nyssa," evenly.

"Nyssa?" Felicity said with apparent disbelief. Why on earth would Nyssa be a part of this plan? Why would she even want to help Oliver? "Why would Nyssa want to help us? She's Ra's al Ghul's daughter. And she is fiercely loyal to the League." Felicity could see that all those things had occurred to Diggle as well, making him question the choice too.

"Self-preservation," stated Oliver. "When I accept Ra's offer to become his heir, best case scenario for Nyssa is she's imprisoned for the rest of her life. Do you anticipate her taking being passed over for an outsider well either?" asked Oliver.

"No, good point. So you think she'll help?" Dig asked Oliver.

"Yes, I'm hoping her desire to survive and her anger at her father outweighs her loyalty to him. I think she'd help as long as I don't ask her to do anything she considers a step too far," finished Oliver.

"So, what will happen? Do you know?" Felicity inquired with an attempt to suppress the worry from her voice.

"Well, Ra's will come to Starling and send an emissary to fetch me to deliver his proposal to make me Ra's. When we meet, I'm sure at a League safehouse, I will accept his offer to become his successor. Then I'm sure it'll be off to Nanda Parbat. I don't know what I'll be expected to do, but once I'm there Maseo and I will work to destabilize Ra's al Ghul's leadership and weaken the League as a whole. Hopefully we'll have Nyssa's help with this," Oliver concluded. Turning to Diggle, Oliver asked, "Dig, can Lyla get me in touch with Amanda Waller?"

"Yeah, I think so. I can't see why you'd want to see her or why she'd agree to see you though," responded Dig.

"Waller will help. She knows the threat the League places. I need to know if she can house Ra's. I don't think even Lian Yu is secure enough for him," Oliver said confidently.

"Oliver…" Felicity started hesitantly. "You can't seriously believe that leaving Ra's al Ghul alive is a good idea. He's one of the most dangerous men on the planet."

"I know, Felicity. I don't make this decision lightly. I was willing to kill him and it didn't work. I don't want to kill anyone anymore. Perhaps that's why I failed," Oliver replied genuinely.

"Oliver, I've got to go with Felicity here. Ra's has to be stopped permanently. There's nowhere Waller or anyone else can stash him where he and his League buddies can't get him out. You're going to have to put him down," Dig agreed.

Oliver sighed, rubbing his hand across his face. "It'll be a last resort," was all he said in return. Felicity could tell that he didn't want to discuss it any further.

"Okay," Diggle said, raising his hands in the air in acquiescence. Felicity couldn't respond. This was not the end of that discussion. Felicity wasn't going to let Oliver's humanity be the reason she lost him again.

Suddenly a series of rapid beeps came from the bay of computers in the lair. "Saved by the bell," Felicity said moving toward the computer screens. She glanced at them momentarily and interpreted what was going on. "A call just went out to the SCPD. The alarm was triggered for a robbery at Starling National a little under a minute ago. We're closer than the station," Felicity informed them.

"Suit up," Oliver said while walking over to the case containing his suit. He pulled it off the mannequin while Diggle went to the nearby metal case and opened the gun drawer. Diggle checked the gun cartridges to ascertain whether they were full of tranquilizer darts while Oliver began to strip off his clothes nearby. Normally, Oliver would kind of step out of eye line to do so, but to Felicity's delight he stood in full view letting her drink him in partially dressed.

"Are you sure you're good to do this? You just got back. Maybe just Roy and I should go," Diggle asked Oliver as Oliver finished pulling on his hood and grabbing his gear.

"I'm good. I promise," promised Oliver sincerely.

"I've hacked into the security cameras at the bank. They had taken them down, but I've brought them back up. It looks like we're dealing with four guys. All heavily armed. Watch yourselves out there," Felicity implored.

Oliver grabbed his quiver and bow and headed toward the stairs with Dig. Fully weaponized and masked, Oliver turned back to face Felicity at the base of the stairs. After a pause he asked, "On coms?"

She confirmed, "On coms," back, watching them both head out the door. She had no reason to be nervous, Oliver had faced much worse than this before now, but she couldn't help being just a little concerned for him and Dig. If she was worried about something as trivial to Oliver as a bank robbery, how would she feel when it came time for him to go to Nanda Parbat?

**F/N:** I hope that was an okay chapter. My brain would not shut up about this chapter and let me sleep, so I finally gave up and wrote it. Hopefully now that I've written it out, I can sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

****A/N:** Whoops. I just noticed that I had accidentally skipped chapter 12 and posted chapter 13 in its place twice. Sorry for the confusion. It is fixed now.

**~`**`~ Felicity ~`**`~**

“Has Lance picked them up yet?” Oliver asked Felicity as he descended the last step into the lair.

Felicity responded, “Captain Lance just arrived on scene with backup. The SCPD are arranging them for transport now.”

“They were armed with some pretty serious hardware. Any idea of their supplier?” Dig inquired of Felicity. “That’s someone we should definitely get off the streets. Those guns are going to turn the Glades into a war zone.”

“I’m looking into it now. They had a previous connection with someone who was convicted of arms dealing in connection to the Bertinelli’s, but he’s been in Iron Height’s prison for the past 3 years. I’ll keep on it,” Felicity assured them both.

Before either Dig or Oliver could respond, Felicity’s computer indicated another incident report. Spinning in her office chair towards the computer screen, she saw the feed for a security camera upstairs immediately pop up. Felicity didn’t need to look long for the source of the disturbance. A slight, casually dressed man swung a pistol around wildly by the bar, spinning in circles causing the nearby patrons and employees to cower in fear.

“Disturbance upstairs. Bar. _Now_!” said Felicity urgently, just as a shot rang out and screams echoed from above them. Oliver pulled his mask and hood back up, hurriedly following Diggle up the stairs. Felicity could hear their comms turn back on as they reached the frightened cries of the club goers in Verdant. Felicity watched the security monitors’ feeds on her computer screens intently.

Diggle snuck into the shadows by the bar, raising his gun at the threatening man. Oliver stood ahead of the gunman, aiming his bow directly at him. This caused the man to wheel around to face Oliver, raising his own weapon in return. “Where is the bastard?! I know he’s here!” screamed the gunman while Felicity listened quietly over the comms.

“I don’t know who you’re talking about. Put the gun down. Let everyone go,” Oliver replied with authority.

“Not until you bring Harden out! He’s here with her! I saw them head this way!” the gunman continued to yell. He was entirely focused on Oliver. He no longer looked around Verdant, searching for his prey. This guy was going to kill someone in his pursuit to find Harden and whoever the woman that was with him was.

Before Oliver could respond to the screaming man again, Felicity saw a nearby figure, almost out of range of the security camera, collapse backward onto the floor. “Oh god,” she said in panic. She didn’t even tell Oliver and Dig what was headed to do. She hurried up the stairs to ascertain what had happened. Ascending the stairs as quickly as she could, Felicity hurried over to the collapsed woman on the floor. She was having a seizure. Only the people directly near her seemed to notice her condition at all. The gunman had the sole attention of everyone in the club.

Felicity knelt down next to the woman on the floor, instructing the people near her to turn the woman onto her side. Felicity quickly fished her phone out of her cardigan and called Captain Lance. As quietly as possible she said, “Captain, there’s a disturbance at Verdant. We need an ambulance,” trying to stay unnoticed by the pistol waving man nearby. “What’s going on?” Captain Lance asked on the other end of the line, obviously concerned. “Gunman. Automatic handgun. Woman in her mid twenties having a seizure,” Felicity looked down at the woman and told Lance, “She has a medical bracelet but it’s too dark to read it.”

“Hey!” Felicity heard a man yell to the side of her. She looked up and saw the gunman pointing the pistol at her. “Off the phone. Now!” Felicity slowly sat her phone down on the ground, leaving the line open to Captain Lance.

“This woman is having a seizure. I was calling an ambulance,” she cautiously informed the agitated man. Continuing to point his gun at her the man yelled, “I don’t give a fuck! All of you, step back!” he screamed at patrons kneeling by the prostrate woman. The woman’s seizure had thankfully subsided at that point and she was slowly coming around to consciousness. Felicity sincerely hoped that the woman didn’t do anything upon recovering to agitate the man further and cause him to physically harm someone.

“Drop. Your. Weapon,” Oliver said in a menacing voice that Felicity hadn’t heard from him before. She knew he was moments from seriously harming, if not killing, the man who wielded the gun at her. Felicity saw his body language was positively rigid as he continued to glare at the man, bow at the ready. Dig stood in a prepared stance, also keeping his weapon pointed at the man. At that moment, multiple SCPD officers filed in from the front door, guns raised, calling, “Police!” The gunman spun towards the commotion and slowly lowered his gun in response. He knew he had no chance against The Arrow, Diggle, and the five police officers that had come in.

“Everyone out!” Oliver yelled to the cowering club goers as the gunman surrendered to the police. Every Verdant patron and employee hurried out the front door of the club without hesitation as instructed. Two EMT workers jogged over to Felicity with a stretcher and knelt next to the ill woman who was still laying near Felicity on the floor.

“You call for the ambulance?” the EMT called to Felicity.

“Yes.” she responded. She answered the questions that one EMT posed to her as the other EMT made inquiries to the Epileptic woman herself. Oliver walked away from the police who had handcuffed the gunman and were taking him away. He crept towards Felicity with questioning eyes. She nodded at him and Dig in turn to inform them that she was okay without words. Walking in the shadows, they both headed to the back of the club towards the alley, staying out of the notice of the few people nearby.

Moments later, once the EMTs and police where finished questioning Felicity, she walked towards the stairs leading into the lair. After inputting the code that gave her access, Felicity walked down and saw Oliver still decked out in his entire Arrow garb.

“Everyone gone?” Felicity nodded in reply as he walked over and caressed her face with one hand. “Are you okay?” he asked with concern.

“Of course,” she said slightly surprised. This had been nothing compared to other dangerous scenarios she had been in.

Oliver sighed with obvious relief and leaned his forehead against hers. “Don’t you do that to me again. I almost killed that man tonight,” Oliver said with apparent distress.

“You didn’t. I am fine. The woman needed help. I wasn’t going to sit by,” replied Felicity.

“Sometimes you’re too brave for your own good,” Oliver chastised, pulling back to gaze into her eyes. Felicity rolled her eyes in response. “It’s true,” he finished seriously.

“Look who’s talking,” Felicity retorted. Oliver closed his eyes and moved toward Felicity, wrapping his arms around her. She laid her head against his chest, feeling his even breaths. After a few moments they pulled away from each other, looking at each other’s faces. Unexpectedly, a ferocious look lit behind Oliver’s eyes. He roughly pulled Felicity toward his body and kissed her passionately, leaving her breathless.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** I noticed a few errors with the last chapter last night, so I did some editing of it this morning. Nothing too serious was changed. Just the chapter being labeled for Oliver when it was obviously a Felicity chapter, and a few sentences that were oddly worded were edited. I made the mistake of writing it and later proofreading it when I was way too tired.

This chapter is just wish-fulfillment for me. There were so many times on the show that there would be a "kissing moment" between Oliver and Felicity when Oliver was suited up and they never did anything with it. Yes, I know they couldn't show affection while he was the Arrow in front of others in order to protect Felicity, but there were plenty of times when they were in private where a kiss/love scene with the Arrow would've been magical.

I also know that Oliver's Arrow suit isn't just green leather by this point, but it's kind of awkward to say something along the lines of "green Kevlar weave fabric" instead of "green leather".

**~`**`~ Felicity ~`**`~**

Felicity could feel Oliver's mask and facial hair rub against her face as their heads rolled back and forth with their heated kiss. She pulled her face away from his, gasping, and lowered his hood before lifting off his mask and discarding it on the ground at their feet. Oliver dropped his bow next to the mask and threw away his quiver. He pulled her back to him quickly as if any time spent not kissing her would end his life.

Felicity sighed with desire as Oliver pulled her flush against his body, his hands gripping her hips tightly. Felicity's hands began pulling at his leather shirt, attempting to get it off to no avail. Oliver forcefully removed his hood and shirt in one swift motion in assistance. Felicity shuddered as she felt his firm bisceps beneath her hands when he pulled her back in to resume their ferocious kiss.

It wasn't enough. Felicity's skin was flushed and overheated. She tingled wherever he touched her. She had become aroused so quickly that it shocked her. She could feel he felt the exact same way through his leather pants. She gripped him firmly through the front of his pants and he let out a low moan, his hips bucking into her small hand.

Felicity's underwear were positively soaked in her arousal. She removed her hand from Oliver's biscep and from where she had been gripping Oliver through the front of his pants. She took in heaving breaths after breaking apart their kiss. Felicity lifted up the hem of her skirt in order to be able to reach her underwear to remove them easier. The moment Oliver saw what she was doing, he lifted Felicity up, setting her on the edge of the desk. Felicity swept the keyboard that was behind her rear away, settling herself more securely on the desk.

Oliver reached his right hand down to her underwear over her sex, feeling how damp they were. Felicity sighed greedily and licked up his neck, finishing by sucking his earlobe into her mouth and biting. Oliver almost growled in response. He grabbed her underwear roughly and tore them from her body, destroying them and throwing the shredded fabric at his feet.

Felicity spread her legs wide and reached down with eager hands to undo Oliver's pants. She undid the button and zipper and forced his green leather pants and underwear down to just below his ass. Oliver's substantial length was hard and ready right in front of her. Oliver violently pulled down the top of her dress and bra strap, exposing her left shoulder and the top of her left bra. He forced her bra cup down, exposing her left breast, grabbing her nipple and pinching it hard.

Felicity groaned and dug her fingers into his rear, pushing him forward. His member hit her sex and she ground her hips against him, gripping his rear more firmly. Oliver pulled his face away from where he had been biting just above her breast. Felicity removed her hands from his buttocks and gripped the edge of the desk in anticipation. Oliver held onto himself with one hand, lining himself up with Felicity's opening. He slammed into her roughly groaning, "Fuck!" loudly as he did so.

Felicity gasped out in pleasure as she felt him hit her g-spot firmly. Oliver pulled back and thrust into her forcefully again. Felicity cried out, throwing her head back. She moved her hands to grip the base of his shoulder blades while her legs wrapped themselves around Oliver's waist, her feet resting just below his rear where his green pants had been pulled down to.

Oliver moved his hands from the small of Felicity's back and her left breast and braced them on the desk on either side of her. He pounded into her again, picking up speed. Felicity's seat on the desk became precarious as she met him thrust for thrust.

Felicity felt pleasure building quickly. Their breaths came in harshly as Oliver continued to hammer into her at a now frantic pace. She was almost there and cried out an involuntary, "Yes!" when Oliver lowered his mouth onto her exposed nipple and bit hard. She drug her nails ruthlessly down his back, and he growled and rotated his hips in her in response. Felicity bit his neck softly as she felt her inner walls begin to tremble against Oliver.

Oliver entered her more forcefully than he had before, hitting her g-spot yet again. Felicity's orgasm erupted violently. She convulsed against him and wrapped her legs tightly around him as her pleasure spun out of control. He pounded into her for a couple more thrusts, during which Felicity grabbed onto Oliver's ass again firmly. She felt his dick twitch inside her as he began to spill himself into her, moaning, "Felicity," as he stilled.

Both of their breaths came in gasping heaves as she and Oliver came down from their orgasms. Oliver stood between Felicity's legs and leaned his head on her bare left shoulder. They stayed connected together as Felicity continued to pant.

"Wow," Felicity said sated.

"Absolutely," Oliver replied sincerely.

Felicity and Oliver pulled back to look at each other's faces. Felicity smiled at him and said, "You owe me another pair of underwear, Mister," mischievously. Oliver laughed and extricated himself from between her legs. He gave Felicity his hand to help her back down from her prior sitting position on the desk. Once she was standing Felicity again, she straightened her dress as Oliver pulled up his pants.

She'd dreamed about them making love while he had been dressed as the Arrow before, but it was nothing like this. This had been beyond intense. Felicity knew that it had been because of his stress and concern over the situation that had just transpired upstairs. Her safety being threatened brought something primal out in Oliver. While she hated that his worry is what brought this intensity on, she had thoroughly enjoyed the extreme passion as it was happening. She'd definitely love to do this again. Under different circumstances that is.


	14. Chapter 14

**~`^`~ Oliver ~`^`~**

Oliver stood next to Felicity's car with his arms wrapped around her. The night air was brisk and damp. "Thea wants to have dinner tonight. I'm sure the express purpose of which is to try to coerce what really happened out of me. I'm sure you're more than welcome," Oliver said, reluctant to leave Felicity.

Smiling, Felicity responded with, "Oliver, we both know that me coming for dinner means me really coming to stay the night. Which really means me coming over for sexcapades, which really just means me just coming," in a matter of fact way. Realizing what it sounded like she said, Felicity stopped, eyes growing wide. "I mean. Yes, coming as in to coming dinner, not as in coming like when we have sex. Which I obviously do. A lot. Not that I'd ever say that to your sister. Or anyone else either!" Felicity rushed out. She stopped and lowered her head in embarrassment. "Why don't you stop me? Why don't you ever stop me? You just let me dig myself in further and further," she responded, looking back at Oliver with annoyance.

Oliver found himself on the verge of laughter so frequently with Felicity. He loved her rambling and unintended double entendres. "Because it's endearing and one of the things I love about you," Oliver replied with a huge grin that had found its way to his face. Felicity seemed heartened at what he said, but still annoyed. "You sure you don't want to come?" Oliver said, trying to hide how much he wanted her there.

"Yes. I have things to catch up on at home anyway. Have fun dodging Thea's questions," Felicity replied with an amused smile.

Oliver kissed Felicity softly for a brief moment. Pulling back, he said, "Go catch up then." Oliver removed his arms from around Felicity and she shifted to open her car door. He wanted to tell her he'd miss her and beg her to come, but he refrained. His anxiety over the events that had happened to Felicity in the club that night had passed, but the ever present knowledge that he'd have to leave her soon still weighed on him. Oliver stepped away from her car as she pulled away from the parking area near Verdant. He stood and watched her car drive away until he could no longer see her taillights.

Walking over to his own nearby motorcycle, Oliver started to make his way to the loft he and his sister shared. Dinner was going to be an adventure. Thea was often too observant and intuitive for her own good. He was lucky that she had bought, or convinced herself to eventually accept, many of his past far-fetched excuses for missed engagements or suspicious injuries. Hopefully this time would be no different.

Oliver always felt sad at the huge discrepancy he saw when maneuvering his bike through the Glades and then the more affluent neighborhood of Starling where Thea, and by extension he, lived. It had never bothered him growing up, but ever since returning from Lian Yu, Hong Kong, Russia, and so many other places, he saw the devastation his own family had caused and it hurt him greatly. He had witnessed so much more of the world and the suffering in it no longer escaped him. He was still a frequently selfish man, but he was no longer oblivious to the sorrows of others.

The streets in the Glades were ancient and riddled with pot holes and fallen, missing, or destroyed fixtures that never seemed to get repaired or replaced. The sidewalks were crumbling and narrow. Oliver was certain every sidewalk he passed by was unusable for a wheelchair or stroller. The business fronts and homes all need painting and repairs, from things as minor as replacing a blown light bulb to fixing a fully boarded up window.

The streets in the rest of Starling City were almost immaculate. You might find a damaged street, but it most certainly wasn't serious and it always had a rapid response in plans to be fixed. The streets and sidewalks gleamed from the frequent street sweeping and trash removal. The sidewalks were wide and accessible. All the businesses and homes were if not well-manicured, at least maintained.

The Glades had never gotten half the attention the rest of Starling did and it definitely required more. None of this would change until someone stepped in. Oliver could put arrows in every criminal in Starling City, Central City, Opal City, Ivy Town, and Detroit and it wouldn't do a bit of good if City Hall refused to give funding to help the infrastructure and people of the Glades. Oliver felt rather hopeless about the situation at times but he knew he had to do something until someone who was willing to help the Glades (and wasn't a murderous psychopath like Sebastian Blood) took power.

Oliver parked his Ducati in the protected indoor parking structure for the loft. After ascending the elevator to nearly the top floor of the building, he exited into the hallway outside Thea's loft. Oliver entered to find a casually dressed Thea setting the dinner table with two place settings.

"I heard about the club. Are you okay?" Oliver inquired, taking a few impossibly long steps into the apartment and wrapping Thea in a hug.

"I'm fine, I promise. Roy and I were outside the office when the commotion started. We snuck all the people nearby in there and barricaded the door. Mandi is pretty shaken up though. The guy toting the gun came up to her when she was behind the bar and asked about someone. When she didn't know who he was talking about, the guy freaked. Lost it and pulled the gun on her. She was less than two feet away when he fired shot," Thea informed shrugging out of Oliver's hug. "Luckily, it seems like he's a shit shot, because he missed her by like a mile. She's still really upset though. Do you know if Sara is going to be in town, because it'd be great if she could cover for Mandi. Mandi deserves a few days off," Thea asked innocently as she turned back to finish setting the table.

Oliver took care to keep his face perfectly blank. He really wanted to show the devastation and anger he felt at that moment, but he couldn't. He wanted so desperately to tell Thea that Sara was dead and she was never coming back, but Oliver never could. Thea would want to know what happened to Sara and Oliver couldn't tell her. He knew she wouldn't believe any lie he told her about Sara's death and he couldn't tell her the truth. She would never forgive herself if she knew that she had killed Sara. He would always hate Malcolm for what he had done. He'd kill the bastard if he could. "No, but I'll ask Laurel," Oliver lied smoothly.

Putting his jacket on the couch, Oliver walked into the kitchen and pulled a glass out of the cabinet and a bottle of red wine off the counter. "What's for dinner?" he asked Thea.

"Table Salt. It'll have to be re-heated though. I picked it up before the club opened today. Grilled salmon for you and eggplant for me. How can you stand to eat fish anymore anyway? Didn't you eat like a ton of it on the island? I'd think you'd never want to touch it again," Thea asked.

Oliver let out a small chuckle and let the question hang. True that he had eaten an enormous amount of fish on the island, but he couldn't exactly tell Thea that he had had access to all sorts of dietary options because doing so would reveal he wasn't always on the island for five years. "Sounds good," Oliver said as he placed the wine on the table and handed Thea a glass. She finished putting her food in her microwave. "So, what's up?" Oliver asked grabbing himself a glass of water.

"Can't I just want to have dinner with my brother?" she responded with feigned innocence. Oliver raised an eyebrow in return. Just then his cell phone rang out. He pulled it from his pocket and saw Roy's face on screen.

"I should take this," he told Thea, stepping away from her. "Yes," Oliver answered the phone.

"It's taken care of," Roy stated immediately.

"Great. Thanks." Oliver replied with apparent relief.

"No problem. What's the point of knowing a reformed thief if you can't have him steal evidence from underneath a teammate's desk?" Roy joked.

"What did you do with it?" Oliver asked quietly.

"It's at the lair. Oliver…" Roy paused for a moment, "Felicity told us what it looked like when she told us you were dead, but she really didn't do it justice. Holy shit. How are you alive?" Roy asked sincerely.

"I ask myself that all the time. Thanks for taking care of Thea too," Oliver thanked Roy again.

"It took everything within me not to go out there and help you and Dig, but I knew if I did, she'd want to go out too and you'd kill me if that happened," he replied.

"Damn straight," Oliver replied honestly. "We had it under control. You were where you needed to be," Oliver finished.

"'Night man. Keep me updated on any developments," Roy told Oliver.

"Done," Oliver said immediately hanging up.

"Sorry about that," Oliver apologized turning back to Thea, who had distributed the food to their plates.

"No problem. Eat." Thea commanded while taking her seat. Oliver followed and sat in the chair directly across from her. "How're things going? It looks like Verdant continues to do well," Oliver asked as they both began to tuck into their food.

"Come on, Oliver. You're not getting away with that," Thea responded with slight aggravation.

"Getting away with what?" Oliver asked smoothly.

"You know what. Ned Foster said you didn't call him when you got arrested. He couldn't find record of you calling _any_ attorney. What the hell, Oliver?" Thea demanded.

Oliver knew this dinner was an interrogation in disguise, he just thought it'd take longer to get around to. He had come up with another lie on the way over that he hoped would appease her. He felt like shit telling her it because he knew what it meant to her personally, but he had no choice. With a frustrated sigh, Oliver started, "Thea, I didn't want to tell you."

"Tell me what?" She asked with the smallest hint of irritation.

"I needed to stay in jail," Oliver replied.

Shock crossed Thea's face. "Why?" she asked earnestly.

"Don't' bother asking details, because I won't tell you. They aren't mine to tell. I met up with a friend. He got into trouble and I got caught up in the wake. We were arrested, which was probably a good thing. I didn't fight hard to get myself out quickly because I didn't want to leave him alone in prison. Leave him alone with the… temptations there," Oliver continued.

"Temptations?" Thea prompted.

"He has a Vertigo problem, Thea. I couldn't let him go through withdrawal alone," Oliver lied with finality.

Thea's face froze. An emotion he couldn't identify brewed behind her eyes. Oliver began to see the heartbreak and pain creep onto her face. "You're a good friend. Thank you for not leaving him," Thea said sincerely. Oliver felt thoroughly guilty. He was a piece of shit for playing on his sister's sympathy towards those who had been caught up in the destructive nature of Vertigo. Ever since she had gotten into her Vertigo-induced car accident, she was horrified by the damage she saw it did to people's lives. After all, she had nearly taken someone else's life, or lost her own, because of her foolish desire to take it. The good thing to come from that experience, and the subsequent trial to follow, was that it was Thea's rock bottom. She had been through so much heartache since that day and still had not collapsed back into the despair that drove her to the comfort of being pharmaceutically altered.

Oliver and Thea finished up their meal, making small talk about Verdant, friends of the family, and other mundane topics. Oliver insisted on doing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen afterward since Thea had procured their meal. Thank god she hadn't actually attempted to cook. When everything was tidy, they went to the couch and started a movie. Oliver let Thea pick some trashy chick flick in the hopes that it would distract her from the hurtful lie he had told about his fictional time in jail. Minutes from the movie ending, Oliver saw movement on the fire escape outside the enormous window that was the outer wall to their expansive apartment. Just as Oliver was about to spring to his feet, he glimpsed the features of the poorly lit figure.

 **F/N:** Sorry for the ridiculously long chapter. Everything plays in my head like a movie, so I have an enormous problem editing material out. I hope it wasn't unbearable.


	15. Chapter 15

**~`^`~ Oliver ~`^`~**

Maseo Yamashiro made quick eye contact with Oliver and jerked his head, indicating to him that he wanted to speak with him on the balcony. "Well, that's two hours of my life I'll never get back. What're you looking at?" Thea inquired, having caught Oliver looking away from the television.

Oliver hurriedly responded, "Oh, just looking out the window. The city looks nice tonight," hoping that Thea wouldn't sense anything amiss with his reply.

"You're right, I guess," Thea replied, puzzled. He could tell she found him supposedly admiring the city at night odd, but she thankfully chose to say nothing.

After turning back to look at Thea, Oliver said, "Listen, I'm pretty tired. I think I'm going to call it a night. I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah, you're probably right. I should head to bed too. Goodnight. Get some sleep," Thea said back. Thea stood up from the couch as Oliver made a show of turning off all the entertainment center electronics and walking towards the kitchen to presumably get a glass of water. Thea gave Oliver a small smile as she started heading up the stairs to her bedroom. As soon as he heard her door close on the upper landing, Oliver walked away from the kitchen and glanced up the stairs. Confident that Thea was in her room for the rest of the night, Oliver made his way towards the balcony door and stealthily opened it. Stepping out into the cold, Oliver found Maseo dressed in his traditional League garb and carefully hidden in the shadows of the balcony.

"Maseo," Oliver greeted.

"Oliver, my name is Sarab," Maseo reprimanded. Oliver sighed but didn't bother to reply, instead waiting for Maseo to continue. "The Demon's Head has discovered your continued survival."

"That was quicker than we thought. That's not good," Oliver stated.

"Quick or slow, the timing of his discovery does not matter. The result is the same. I was sent here as an advanced guard to inquire as to your status before Ra's al Ghul presents his deal to you. As I knew he would," Maseo added.

"How long do we have until Ra's comes?" Oliver asked, the gravity of what they were about to do hung over him.

"I can be here for a couple days to assess you, but I will need to return to Nanda Parbatt soon. Ra's al Ghul will want to leave soon after I give him my report. I would say you have no more than a week," Maseo replied seriously.

Oliver suddenly felt more tired than he had since before his fall from the mountain. He pinched the bridge of his nose between his right index finger and thumb and closed his eyes. How could it be so soon? He thought he'd have more time to prepare. More time to prepare and more time to be with Felicity. He internally braced himself as he started to feel his resolve give a momentary slip. There were no options. This had to be done. "Thank you, Maseo," Oliver thanked with a slight nod in Maseo's direction. Maseo nodded back in return and went to climb down the fire escape.

Oliver waited until Maseo was no longer in view to turn around and reenter his and Thea's shared living space. Oliver noiselessly closed the door behind him after stepping back into the warm loft. His mind was a tangled mess of emotions as he ascended the stairs to his own room. Though still lavishly furnished, his room now seemed stark and cold. Oliver steadily started to undress as his thoughts continued to spin around wildly.

How was he going to do this? How could he leave Felicity? What if Nyssa refused to help? What if Ra's asked something of Oliver he absolutely could not do? What if his cover was blown? What if Maseo changed his mind? What if he failed?

Oliver lay on top of his bed in his underwear, continuing to be consumed by his worries and attempting to make plans. Wondering how would he tell Felicity stayed at the forefront of his mind. He thought they'd have weeks before he had to leave, when days would have been more accurate. He couldn't help but feel bitter at the situation. This was totally unfair to both Felicity and him. He was afraid Felicity would resent him for this as much as he resented this happening.

Oliver's eyes flew open with a start. His heart raced as he lay in bed panting and covered in sweat. He wasn't sure exactly when he had fallen asleep, but he had definitely woken from a nightmare. He couldn't help but be glad that he retained no memory of the dream because he had a vague feeling the dream contained Felicity. The next few days were going to be hard enough without a nightmare about Felicity sitting in the back of his mind.

Light has flooded his bedroom, prompting Oliver to look at his nearby alarm clock. 7 AM. It was still early and the amount of sleep he had gotten was far from adequate. After momentarily debating the merits of trying to get more sleep, Oliver rose from his large bed and stretched, deciding that staying in bed would be wasted effort. There was no way that his mind was going to be diverted from what lay ahead and allow him to obtain more rest.

After a much needed shower, Oliver donned some well worn jeans and a navy long-sleeved button-up shirt and descended the stairs into the living room barefoot. Oliver made his way to the kitchen and turned on the coffeemaker. He listened to the soft bubbling and hissing air as he heard it preparing the cup. Thank god for automatic coffeemakers.

Oliver turned to the refrigerator in search of a quick breakfast. He doubted he would be able to taste much of anything with how preoccupied his mind was with the upcoming journey. Oliver removed the milk and an apple from the refrigerator and turned to the cupboard that contained his high-protein granola. Gathering a bowl and spoon, Oliver combined a hefty portion of the granola and milk together and began to tuck in. The coffeemaker sounded the completion of his coffee and Oliver walk over to retrieve his awaiting mug.

He stood in the kitchen and chewed each mouthful of cereal automatically as his brain continued to fret over what would happen over the next couple of days. He alternated between bites of the nutty granola and swallows of the rich and warm black coffee. He was feeling a little more human and awake the more he ate and drank, but he was still making very little progress formulating definitive plans. It was probably due to the fact that every time he made headway with an idea, the fact that he would have to tell Felicity he would leaving in a matter of days hit him again.

Abandoning his empty cereal bowl in the sink, Oliver started himself a second cup of coffee. He would definitely need the extra energy it afforded today. Once his coffee was finished, Oliver carried it and his remaining apple over to the living room couch. He turned on the television and hastily turned down the volume so it was just above a murmur. His childhood had taught him better than to wake up his baby sister this early. She could be a monster when grouchy. Flicking around channels, Oliver found the morning news and began to watch.

Oliver bit into his apple and was immediately reminded of his night with Felicity when he had returned home. He remembered how warm her lips were pressed against his and how he could taste apple on her tongue. Oliver sighed in resignation. How was he going to bring himself to tell her that he would be gone again in a matter of days? Thea's footsteps descending the stairs interrupted Oliver's thoughts.

"Did I wake you?" Oliver asked.

"No. I smelled the coffee," Thea stated, making her way to the kitchen in search of her own mug of coffee. "What are your plans for today? I don't have anything going on until I have to open the club," Thea said.

"Nothing yet, but it's barely 8 AM. Why?" Oliver asked. Just as Thea opened her mouth to reply, Oliver's phone rang. He pulled the phone from his pants pocket and saw Felicity's sweet smile on screen. He couldn't help the smile that found his own face when he thought of talking to her. "One sec, Thea," Oliver said, holding up one finger to indicate he'd resume talking to her after he got off the phone.

Oliver answered the phone with a glad, "Hi."

"Hi," Felicity replied. Oliver could hear the mutual smile in her voice. "I wanted to see if you wanted to have breakfast before I head in to work."

"Damn, you're too late. If you'd only called half an hour ago. Rain check?" Oliver said with a hint of amusement. Oliver heard Felicity laugh lightly on the other end.

"Sounds good. I'll see you tonight though?" Felicity asked, for some reason sounding unsure.

"Yes. See you tonight," Oliver assured. He wanted to finish by saying he loved her, but his sister was mere yards from him and watching him closely.

"Bye," Felicity said softly.

"Bye," Oliver replied trying to somehow imbue it with the words with 'I love you'. He hung up the phone and suppressed a sigh. His eyes met Thea's. He could see the glint of intuition behind her eyes. He wasn't going to be able to escape this now.

"Who was that?" Thea asked with a wickedly.

"That was Felicity," Oliver replied evenly.

"Oh, really? Because that didn't sound like a conversation you and Felicity typically have," Thea mischievously prodded with a grin on her face. "I haven't seen a smile like that on your face in quite a while. Is Felicity perchance the reason for the smile?"

"Thea, mind your own business," Oliver reprimanded.

She let off an unladylike scoff and demanded, "Just like you mind yours? Please. What's going on? Spill."

"Fine. We're seeing each other. It's new. Really new. Back off now, okay, Speedy?" Oliver responded revealing the small annoyance he felt at her continued questioning.

"Fine. Fine. I'll drop it. For now," Thea acquiesced with both her palms in the air.

Oliver jumped to his feet, suddenly anxious to get productive. "I'm going to head out. I have some errands to run," Oliver called back to Thea as he climbed the stairs to his room. Dodging into his room, he grabbed the first pair of socks he saw from his small dresser and immediately headed back down the stairs. "I'll catch up to you later tonight," Oliver said while balancing to pull on his socks at the base of the stairs. He walked over to Thea at the kitchen table and gave her a swift one armed hug while she looked at his sudden change of demeanor with confusion. Oliver moved towards the front door and shoved his feet into the shoes he'd left there while grabbing his coat and keys from the nearby chair.

"Okay, I guess, I'll see you later," Thea replied bewildered. Oliver smiled at her and exited through their front door. As he closed the door behind himself, he heard Thea's voice call out, "Hey! Come clean up your shit! Raisa isn't here anymore and I sure as shit am not cleaning up after you!" Oliver smiled to himself over Thea's reproach, and he began briskly down the hall. There was much that needed to be done and he was ready to get started.

**A/N:** The page break I made would not stay no matter what I tried, so apologies if Oliver waking up seemed abrasive. There had been a page break right above it, but it wouldn't show here for some reason.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:** I really struggled writing this chapter. I strongly dislike Ray, so I really didn't like being in his head for this chapter. I hope this isn't unbearable and it makes sense.

**~`+`~ Ray ~`+`~**

Two words. That's all it had taken. Ray had walked into Felicity's office to speak to her about the quarterly reports and found she was out. He couldn't help but be a little relieved as he was still a little self-conscious after having told her how he felt about her. As he was about to exit her office and leave a message with her assistant, he noticed a stack of familiar blueprints on her desk. They were the blueprints of his specs for the nano chip he developed to make his A.T.O.M suit functional. Unfortunately, the chip didn't seem to work. On top of the stack of documents was a sticky note that simply read " _Quantum processor?"_ in neat handwriting. His mind began to race excitedly. Ray had given Felicity the faulty plans less than an hour ago and she had already solved the issue. The nano chip he had designed was worthless. He actually needed a quantum processor. He was beyond lucky to have the genius that was Felicity Megan Smoak in his life.

Felicity's revelation had energized Ray to a manic degree. He knew how to complete his suit now. He returned home after stealing a massive amount of materials from the research and development lab of Palmer Tech. Thank god he owned Palmer Technologies. All he had to do was call his executive assistant and tell her to replace the pilfered items. No requisitions forms (that would have undoubtedly been denied) needed to be processed.

Ray locked himself in his enormous apartment and got to building. He frequently found his stomach aggressively growling and realized he hadn't eaten in hours. He was starting to grow discombobulated from exhaustion, but he repressed the feeling. After many hours, Ray finished building the quantum processor. He installed the completed processor in the correct circuit board in his suit and crossed his fingers.

Ray sat facing the technological marvel assembled in front of him. He was sure many people would have thought of creating something like the A.T.O.M suit, but thanks to Felicity he was going to succeed. He'd be able to stop what happened to Anna from happening to someone else. He'd help usher in a new age of a safe Starling, making it the Star City he wanted.

Starting his recording for documentation, Ray said quietly, "Starting A.T.O.M suit quantum processor test." He reached his hand forward toward the mess of wires, circuits, metal, and dwarf star alloy and took a steadying breath. Ray turned on the suit and watched it light up. His heart swelled in his chest and his excitement budded. This was it.

**~`+`~16 hours later~`+`~**

Ray's test runs of the suit had been successful. He felt like he was ready to crawl out of his skin in excitement. Ray had spent a large portion of the day hacking into various computer databases and setting the computers in his home and A.T.O.M suit to alert him to any crisis in the city. Ray paced his apartment in anticipation of using his suit in the capacity it was built for the first time.

After several hours, Ray's computer rang out in warning. Ray ran over to the monitor from where he had been pacing and read the offered information. A signal consistent with a remote device to control an explosive had been detected in the warehouse district of the Glades. It was late, but the area the signal originated from was far from vacant. Ray wasn't going to let even one person die because of an explosion.

Ray strategically put on the A.T.O.M suit and braced himself. He could do this. He would defuse the bomb if there was enough time, or he could fly it out of the radius where it would harm anyone. He was ready.

Ray walked onto his balcony and situated himself not to damage his apartment. With a deep breath, he rocketed into the night sky. Ray would never get over the exhilaration he felt when flying in the suit. He sped as quickly as the suit would take him towards the group of warehouses the signal came from. He let the software in his suit search for the bomb as he hovered high in the sky just above the warehouses. He found the explosive quickly. To his dismay, the suit registered four people standing or squatting next to the bomb. Ray's heart began to race. He had to get them outside of the blast radius.

As he braced himself to fly in and warn the people, the signal to the bomb died. Ray's confusion outweighed his relief at the eliminated danger. What had happened? Had the bomb been faulty? He adjusted the settings in his suit to pick up any noise in the vicinity of the people around the device. Had these people planted the bomb and changed their minds?

"We're good?" asked a slight body with a weary male voice.

"Yeah, we're good, Roy," a large form assured in a deep voice with a sigh.

"Did Layla contact Waller?" a vaguely familiar man's voice asked.

"Yes, Layla's got a team on the way. They've got the necessary equipment for a safe disposal," the deep voice replied.

"You sure giving the bomb to A.R.G.U.S is the best idea? No offense, Dig," asked a small female form who was crouched next to the diffused explosive. Ray's insides froze. He'd know that sweet voice anywhere. It was Felicity. What the hell was Felicity doing there?

"The only other place that could possibly secure the bomb's technology is S.T.A.R Labs and we both know Barry would not support it being housed there. A.R.G.U.S is our best bet, Felicity," said the familiar male.

"I'll do another perimeter sweep while we wait for the team to get here," the first voice, Roy, spoke after a momentary silence.

"Good. Felicity sweep for more signals just to be safe," Ray felt certain he knew who was speaking. "Dig, stay with the bomb and monitor A.R.G.U.S when they arrive. Everyone stay on coms, just in case." The man who was speaking obviously held some kind of authority with this group. A group that included Felicity. Ray felt himself growing angry.

"Copy," said the man called Dig and the man called Roy, simultaneously. Ray saw the smaller figure run away from the group. The shape he was sure was Felicity rose to her feet and moved to exit the warehouse with what appeared to be a tablet in her hands. The larger shape with the familiar voice followed her closely.

"As if I need to be told to look for more signals," Felicity said with a small shake of her head, "This isn't my first rodeo. I'm not picking anything else up. I think we're in the clear," she finished clearly as she exited the confines of the warehouse into the cool night air. Ray looked down at her from where he remained hovering in the black sky. It was definitely Felicity below him.

"Good. I'll go sweep the perimeter with Roy." Ray watched astonished as the Arrow followed Felicity into the parking lot outside the warehouse. The Arrow? Felicity knew the Arrow? They definitely appeared to know each other but Ray suppressed his desire to jump to conclusions, determined not to make up his mind until he spoke to Felicity.

Felicity reached out her hand and lightly grabbed the Arrow by his wrist that wasn't holding his intimidating bow. "Is something wrong?" she asked with concern in her voice. Ray could see the wrinkle that Felicity got when she was worried between her eyes. Ray could only see part of the Arrow's face, but under the Arrow's mask Ray could see the earnestness behind his eyes.

"Yes, it's fine," the Arrow replied with warmth. Ray was sure they knew each other outside of this one encounter. Felicity was obviously familiar enough with the Arrow to feel comfortable touching him and the Arrow looked at her in a way that almost made Ray feel uncomfortable. The Arrow bent down and swiftly kissed Felicity. Ray knew the shock he felt registered on his face. Felicity and the Arrow. Felicity and the Arrow?

In that moment, everything suddenly became clear. Ray had seen Oliver Queen look at Felicity exactly the same way the Arrow had. Even their body language together was the same. Oliver Queen was the Arrow. Felicity dropped her hand from the Arrow's wrist and watched him walk away in the direction the man called Roy had gone.

Ray already knew, but in order to confirm his epiphany, Ray looked at the retreating Arrow and turned the high spectrum portable radiograph display on in his suit. He waited as the suit's hardware scanned the Arrow's facial features from underneath his hood and mask. As the A.T.O.M suit continued to render an image of the Arrow's undisguised face, the facial recognition program he had stolen from Felicity began to do its work. Moments later, a digital rendering of Oliver Queen's face started back him from the display inside his helmet. He didn't need to wait for the database to be searched for an identity confirmation, but two seconds later the software Felicity had created confirmed what Ray Palmer had already known.

Oliver Queen is the Arrow. Oliver Queen is the Arrow and Felicity works with him. Ray felt a wave of anger and betrayal rush over him. He sped off back into the night sky towards his apartment.


	17. Chapter 17

*****A/N:** I'm sorry for the delay with this update. I have struggled so much to write this. Not only have I been insanely busy with the holidays, but I lost my outline for this story and had to redo it. It has taken an insane amount of time and I'm still not done. It also doesn't help that I really dislike Ray so I really don't enjoy being in his mind for this chapter. I don't know if I'll have a chance to post another chapter before the year is over, so I hope you all had a happy holiday season and new year, however it is you celebrate it.

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**~`+`~ Ray ~`+`~**

Ray spent the day trying his damndest to focus on work. After spending hours angrily pacing his apartment the previous night, Ray headed into the office in a huff during the wee hours of the morning. He stayed there attempting to work alone until his staff came in several hours later. His anger and feelings of betrayal continued to stay at the forefront of his mind regardless of the project he was tackling.

Ray felt a stab of remorse when he saw his executive assistant flinch when he loudly demanded she get him a cup of coffee and the head of Palmer Tech's patent department on the line. Ray had always prided himself on being cordial and fair to all his employees and to people less than him, but last night's events had obviously obliterated any capability he had of treating anyone with any level of warmth. He was gruff and he knew it. He could tell the employees around him were concerned about what could have him behaving so uncharacteristically, but he wasn't about to enlighten them about the situation that had lead to his current demeanor.

As the afternoon neared, Felicity walked into Ray's office. He could tell something was wrong with her. She was visibly out-of-sorts. The crease she wore between her eyes when she was worried broadcast that fact clearly. Normally, this would have brought a protective instinct out in Ray, but he found it completely absent due to the anger that still boiled under his surface.

"I looked over your nano chip plans, and while you are brilliant Ray, this was a complete failure on your part. The good news is I fixed it in about two hours," Felicity said with a small smile that didn't touch her eyes. He could tell she was trying to lighten the uneasy mood she sensed by teasing him, as she so often did when she succeeded in solving a problem that Ray had struggled with. Ray would never admit it but sometimes it really bruised his ego when she did so. "Hey, it was a joke. Relax." After a pause Felicity continued, "What's wrong?"

"Oliver Queen is the Arrow," Ray stated in an upset, matter-of-fact tone.

Felicity froze with a shocked look on her face in response to his statement. After a brief moment, she broke into hysterical nervous laughter. "Uh huh. Sure, Ray. What even makes you think that? He was cleared two years ago so it's not even possible for him to be the Arrow. Plus, Oliver Queen? Come on," Felicity anxiously rambled.

"Wow. I told myself when you walked in here that you wouldn't lie to me. I guess I was wrong," letting the obvious hurt he felt sound in his voice.

Felicity didn't respond for a long time, but finally settled on asking, "How?"

"I flew to the Glades' warehouses to disarm the explosive when its radio signal was detected by Palmer Tech's transmission towers," Ray started.

"You got the suit working?" Felicity asked with obvious surprise.

Ray ignored her question and continued voicing his upset, "When I got there the bomb was already disarmed. I thought at first that the people who had planted it had a change of heart, but then I listened. It was you. You disarmed the explosive. Where the hell did you learn to do that? _Why_ the hell were you doing that?!" Ray asked, letting his fury leak through. Felicity opened her mouth to respond, but Ray barreled on, not allowing her an opportunity to defend herself. "You were obviously working with the group of people there. I didn't know what to think. Then I saw you leave the warehouse with the Arrow. If I'm honest with myself, I knew it was Oliver right away. The way you looked at each other. And then when you kissed…" Ray trailed off sadly. "You know the suit has high spectrum portable radiograph capabilities. I didn't need to use it. I already knew Oliver was the Arrow, but undeniable scientific proof is always better than none."

Ray watched Felicity's face fall. She knew there was no denying it now. She had obviously been thinking of ways that she could discredit how Ray had decided Oliver was the Arrow, and now she knew she had no ability to do so. "Thanks to your facial recognition software," Ray admitted.

"You stole my software?" Felicity interrupted angrily.

He ignored her chastisement and stepped away from his computer, motioning to Felicity to look at the screen herself. Ray moved far enough away from the monitor to allow Felicity to move in front of the screen and see his results from his surveillance the night before. He had pulled the rendered scan of Oliver's face up on his computer the moment Felicity had walked into his office. He knew he needed ammunition to confront her about her lies.

"How long have you known Oliver was the Arrow?" Ray wearily asked as Felicity continued to face the computer away from him. He was almost afraid of the answers Felicity would give him. That is, assuming she agreed to answer his questions at all.

She turned around to face Ray, "Almost three years," Felicity admitted confidently.

Ray was shocked. "You have been helping him this whole time?"

"Yes," Felicity replied boldly.

"How did you find out?" Ray asked, "Did he mean to tell you or did you figure it out yourself?"

"Ray, I don't think I should…" Felicity drifted off. Ray stared back into her eyes deeply, trying to convey his desperate need to know and his continued struggle to suppress his anger. Felicity sighed in resignation. "I found him bleeding to death in my car. He'd been shot… almost exactly where we're standing, as a matter of fact," she added.

Ray didn't know what he had been expecting to hear, but it certainly wasn't that. His anger flared back to life. She was helping Oliver in the beginning while he was still killing people? Ever since Ray's discovery last night, he had been trying to convince himself that Felicity had only helped the Arrow a couple of times. Ray had been certain she never would have had anything to do with the Arrow when he was killing people. He was sure she had just gotten swept up in something she hadn't expected to happen. Clearly he was wrong.

"At least now I know why you were so hesitant to help me with my mission for the city. You already had your own mission, and a killer to protect," he accused seething.

Felicity erupted, "Oliver is _not_ a killer! You don't know anything about him!"

"He's killed before, Felicity. He's killed many times. Oliver is a murderer," Ray stated fervently.

"He's only killed bad people! And he hasn't killed anyone in nearly two years! He is a different person now. How dare you judge him," she reprimanded.

"Murder is never acceptable, Felicity! He should face justice. He may have stopped killing people now, but that doesn't mean he won't revert to killing whoever pisses him off," Ray said loudly, trying to impress upon Felicity that she was supporting the wrong person. He was irate that not only was she willing to support a murderer's mission for the city over his, but also that she would be with him. She chose Oliver over him to the point where Ray thought she never even entertained the idea of feeling for him romantically. He was a better man than Oliver. Oliver didn't deserve her like he did.

"For your information, the last person he killed was about to kill me. He doesn't just kill people who 'piss him off'. He's saved more lives than you or I will ever know. How could you think so little of him? How could you think I'd help him if he was truly that way?" Felicity's voice shook with anger and repressed angry tears.

Ray shook his head, determined not to be swayed by what she said. He relished in his anger and he was not going to be deterred. "I get the appeal now though. Oliver seemed like a really odd choice for you, but hell, it makes sense now. Going home with the Arrow must be a million times more exciting than going home with some party boy," Ray let all the animosity he felt towards Oliver and the betrayal he felt from Felicity flow free.

Felicity honestly looked like he had slapped her across the face. "That's what you think of me," Felicity stated. It wasn't a question but an accusation. "Well, now I know what kind of man you really are. You're a judgmental, jealous, controlling man, Ray. Yeah, you're a real great guy," Felicity finished sarcastically and dripping with disdain.

Ray could see the unshed tears brimming in Felicity's eyes behind her glasses. Her own fury and devastation was plain to see on her face. She turned on her towering heel and marched out of his office while he stood and watched in silence. He meant every word he said and he refused to feel sorry for speaking his mind. Not only had Felicity been lying to him since they met, but she had chosen a murderer over him. It hurt Ray when he thought Felicity chose some random playboy over him but this stung so much worse. He could offer her so much more than Oliver and yet she chose her so-called "reformed killer" both in helping him in his crusade and in giving him her love. Ray felt thoroughly broken.

*****A/N:** I really hope I didn't vilify Ray too much in this chapter. Let me know what you think.


	18. Chapter 18

*****A/N:** I know Ray's thoughts and actions seemed pretty vitriolic in the previous chapter, but I was thinking about his level of true disdain for Oliver when he found out Oliver was the Arrow on the show. Ray was even involved with Felicity romantically at the time on the show, which kind of leveled him out, but his hatred of Oliver was still pretty intense. When writing the last chapter, I approached it not only trying to slightly increase Ray's anger because he had discovered Felicity's involvement immediately, but to incorporate his jealousy and resentment at the fact that Felicity had rejected him romantically and chosen Oliver in addition. I hope it didn't come off too strong but there was a lot I tried to consider. The past few days have been incredibly hard for me. I won't go into why, but working on this chapter has both been easier because I've been able to channel my own anger, sorrow, and frustration; yet at the same time it's been harder to set my own feelings aside and focus on writing this. I tried to go back and tone down the angst in this a little bit since I'm sure it was excessive due to my own personal feelings leaking into this at the time, but I'm not sure I succeeded. I hope it worked out.

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**~`**`~ Felicity ~`**`~**

Felicity closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath through her nose then exhaled forcefully. Her anger at how Ray had treated her outweighed her concern about what he would do with what he had uncovered. Felicity had no idea he could be so petty. She had been very unnerved by his initial behavior towards her during his pursuit to get her to agree to work for Palmer Tech. She had been tormented by a stalker before in her life, and Ray's behavior was remarkably similar to Felicity's college stalker. She was absolutely sure if Oliver had known the extent that Ray had been monitoring and harassing her, he would have confronted Ray in a way Ray would not have liked. Felicity was far from a damsel in distress. She could take care of herself, and her relationship with Oliver at the time wasn't exactly great, but she couldn't help but wonder if some of this could have been avoided if Oliver had dealt with Ray's behavior right away. Ray had proven to be controlling and invasive, but she didn't think him capable of assailing her personally. It hurt her more than she'd like that Ray believed she was with Oliver because of some sick thrill-seeking inclination and not because she loved him. She knew Ray's pride had been wounded when she rejected him romantically, but that was a low blow.

She truly understood his reticence about her working with Oliver, Dig, and Roy in their mission to help Starling City. She had had those very feelings herself initially, albeit not quite as strongly as Ray. Yes, Oliver had killed people, but for Ray to suggest that he simply killed people because they angered him was so wrong. Not only was Oliver a different man now but he had only ever killed people that truly deserved it or as a last resort. Stupid, giant Ray won't even get over himself long enough to listen to reason and try to understand Oliver. Felicity knew Ray's own mission was doomed to fail if he couldn't see into the gray areas of life. This black-and-white mindset of his was going to get him, or the people he was naïvely trying to protect, hurt or even killed.

The past twelve hours had been really shitty and the last thing she had needed was Ray Palmer chastising her because of his closed mind and bruised ego.

Felicity chuckled darkly to herself, remembering how this morning all she had wanted was something to distract her from what was going on with Oliver. She had gotten her wish in the worst way possible. The way things had been going, the small bubble of optimism that had blossomed in Felicity again since Oliver's return was shrinking quickly and she feared it would pop, disappearing forever. Last night had proven to her how tenuous the ground they stood on really was.

_Felicity closed the front door to her apartment as Oliver strode into the entryway behind her. As she secured the deadbolt, her restraint finally broke. "Okay, I can't take it anymore. What's wrong? And don't tell me nothing is because something is clearly bothering you. I didn't think it was possible, but you're even more monosyllabic than usual and you won't look at me!" Felicity exclaimed._

_Oliver finished hanging up his black pea coat on the coat hooks on the wall near Felicity's front door and slowly turned to face her. She could see the apprehension in his eyes. He clasped his hands behind his back and lowered his eyes briefly to the floor, but remained silent._

_"Well?" Felicity snapped._

_Oliver drew in a deep breath to presumably prepare himself. He looked Felicity in the eyes and resignedly admitted, "Maseo came to me at the loft last night. Ra's al Ghul knows I'm alive. We have less than a week before he arrives."_

_Felicity suddenly found it utterly impossible to breathe. She shook her head back and forth in an attempt to dislodge the denial that flew around her mind wildly. Her eyes went everywhere except to meet Oliver's. "Less than a week," she said just above a whisper. "Less than a week," the denial she felt laced in every word as she repeated them. Her emotional dam broke and she gasped the phrase a third time, "Less than a week?" She stood frozen where she was and let her cry echo in her small apartment. She finally met Oliver's eyes again and she didn't like what she saw in them. Felicity's denial melted away in that instant and her anger set in, "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"_

_"Felicity…" quietly Oliver drifted off._

_"Why didn't you tell me?" Felicity asked again, not bothering to hide her anxiety or anger._

_"Because… Because we were about to go diffuse a bomb and I didn't want to worry you," Oliver defended himself. Felicity opened her mouth to respond with an angry retort, but Oliver barreled on, "and because telling you would have made it real." As Felicity considered his words, a pregnant pause hung in the air._

_"You still should have told me," Felicity chastised Oliver. She felt her anger at him fading as she remained where she was._

_"I know and I'm sorry. I just wanted to protect you," Oliver apologized with unquestionable sincerity._

_Felicity let her mouth fall closed. They had so little time. Her mind juggled feelings of fear, anger, sadness, and even self-pity. This was so unfair. Oliver had just gotten back. She had gotten the miracle of having him returned to her alive and whole, and now he was going to be taken away again. Did Oliver even have an actual plan? What would Ra's do if Oliver didn't acquiesce to his offer/demand right away? What were she, Dig, Roy, and Laurel going to do? What were they going to tell Thea? Could Felicity go through Oliver leaving under such dangerous terms again? She felt her body start to shake. The swirl of emotions that continued their onslaught on her brought tears to her eyes._

_Concern flashed across Oliver's face. He quickly strode to Felicity and wrapped his long arms around her, pressing her small body against his. Felicity laid her cheek against his firm chest and let her tears fall onto his shirt._

_"We will get through this," Oliver told Felicity. She wasn't sure who he was trying to convince more, her or himself._

_Felicity and Oliver stayed in each others arms for minutes on end. As she listened to the even beating of Oliver's heart and felt his steady breaths, her dread slowly subsided a small degree. She looked up into his piercing blue gray eyes. She felt some comfort wash over her as Oliver continued to gaze into her eyes deeply. She could feel his love for her all around her. It poured out of his eyes and seeped into her through the warmth of his embrace. She was still terrified about what was coming but whatever happened, she knew they would face it together and she would be stronger for having Oliver at her side._

_Felicity extricated herself from Oliver's embrace but kept a firm hold on his right hand. She turned and slowly led Oliver into her bedroom. The lighting in her room was dim but neither of them made motions to reach for the light switch. The illumination seemed to reflect their situation. The streetlamp outside provided just enough light for them to see the shapes ahead in Felicity's room, but not enough for them to truly prepare for what they were coming upon. Felicity's familiarity with her bedroom and Oliver's comforting presence made the darkened room feel safe. She wished she could feel the same about the ordeal Ra's al Ghul was putting them through._

_She and Oliver silently undressed in the dark, both remaining in just their underwear. She had no desire to search her room for the pajamas she normally wore to bed. She ignored inclination towards her routine of evening facial care as well. She wanted nothing more than to lie down and be held by Oliver until the Sun came up. She wanted to stop thinking about the danger and obstacles that lay ahead for all of them and just bask in the love and safety he provided._

_Felicity slid into her large bed and wrapped the comforter and blankets securely around her mostly bare body. In the darkness, she saw the shape of Oliver's large figure glide into the space next to her and felt the mattress sink under his weight. She scooted her body closer to Oliver and he pulled her into his protective arms. She laid her head against his bare chest and inhaled a cleansing breath. Snuggling closer to his warm body, Felicity gently wrapped her right arm around Oliver's waist and placed her left palm against his chest. They remained in total silence, Oliver stroking her hair and back. Felicity placed a small kiss against Oliver's sternum and she felt him relax. She hadn't noticed how rigid his body had been before. She realized the same fears that plagued her must be tormenting him as well._

_They laid together in the dark breathing in unison, finding silent reassurance in each others presence. She watched as the light in the room gradually increased as the Sun began to rise. Oliver's breathing eventually slowed and became deeper and she saw he had finally fallen asleep. Comforted by that, Felicity closed her own eyes._

_Felicity's eyes flew open. Her own strangled cry had thankfully woken her from her brief, but intense, nightmare. In her dream, she and Oliver had been standing in broad daylight outside Palmer Technologies, talking about something she couldn't recall, when a swarm of members of the League of Assassins surrounded them. Felicity cried out for help as the League dragged a struggling Oliver away. She was desperate to follow them and free Oliver, but somehow she knew she could not move. Trying to find help, she looked around and saw that Starling City around her had suddenly turned into a complete wasteland. It was void of any people and was positively demolished to a post-apocalyptic state. As Oliver was dragged further away from her, her frantic cries increased. It was then that Felicity glimpsed Ray standing on a nearby staircase. She called to him and begged him for help. She pleaded with him to do something and he just stood and stared at Felicity with a blank look on his face. It was then that Felicity woke with a start, her heart racing._

_She gazed at Oliver with tired eyes and saw he was still asleep, but a frown pulled at his mouth and a furrow was etched into forehead. His dreams were clearly no more pleasant than Felicity's had been._

_Their bodies had pulled apart while they slept but Oliver still kept a firm grip on Felicity's hand even in his sleep. She continued to watch Oliver sleep, not wanting to move from the position she was in, facing him. The Sun had fully risen now but Felicity remained immobile, determined to let Oliver obtain as much rest as he could. She knew sleep would be even rarer for both of them from now on, so Felicity would help Oliver get every bit of rest he could. Her alarm would soon go off, forcing both of them to awaken and face the day. Felicity wanted to put off the trials and worries that would come along with the unfolding day as long as possible._

Felicity blinked, coming out of her reminiscence of the previous night, realizing she had been immobile and staring at her computer for some time. Sliding her glasses off her face, she pinched the bridge of her nose in exhaustion. It was barely noon and yet she felt incredibly drained. She had only been at the office a little over 3 hours but she knew with certainty that her remaining in the office would not do anyone any good. She would spend every second she spent in Palmer Technologies either fuming over Ray's behavior or worrying about the potential disaster that awaited Team Arrow when Ra's al Ghul came for Oliver. At least if she went to the Foundry, she would be able to feel like she was exercising a modicum of control over the situation by helping in whatever way she could. Sitting in her office reviewing reports and plans for upcoming projects helped no one. She would worry about the bottom line when her world wasn't falling apart. For now, she had to do something with meaning and that certainly wasn't in her office.

Felicity rocketed up from her desk. She grabbed her belongings that sat nearby and walked powerfully out her office door. "Greg, I will be working from home for the rest of the day. Please call Karen and cancel the meeting I have with Mr. Palmer this evening. You know how to reach me if there's an emergency," Felicity informed her assistant as she reached his desk.

Greg looked up at her with surprise but remained composed, "Sure thing, Miss Smoak. Would you like me to inform Mr. Palmer that you will be working from home the rest of the day?" he asked.

"No, that will not be necessary. Thank you, Greg," Felicity responded with finality, striding off across the polished dark marble floor towards the bay of elevators. Felicity sighed and firmly pushed the button to summon an elevator. Moments later, she stepped onto the empty elevator that promptly arrived. She knew Ray would be a problem after his discovery, but she decided she would deal with him later. She was still angry with him, but for now, she had much bigger problems than an angry, jealous billionaire to deal with.

 *****A/N:** Sorry for the long chapter. I even had to completely ignore my outline for this. I had initially plotted way too much to be in this chapter. It probably would've ended up being like 10,000 words long if I hadn't altered it. Of course, now I've screwed the rest of my outline (what I have done, that is) since I cut so much content from it. I'm going to have to redo my outline, which will almost certainly delay my next chapter. I'm sorry. I hope this chapter turned out bearable at least, despite all the drama.


	19. Chapter 19

*****A/N:** This wraps up what was initially outlined for the previous chapter. I hope the angst level in chapter 18 wasn't overbearing. But, like I said, it was personal feelings leaking through. Just a reminder that these chapters were originally written in 2018, so it's been a while.

**~`**`~ Felicity ~`**`~**

Felicity hypnotically drove through the Glades, making her way to Verdant. In the daylight the destruction that had befallen the area twice was even starker. The disrepair made her heart heavy and she wondered why it was allowed to remain this way. Were the comfortable people of Starling so indifferent to the suffering of others? How could they be that selfish? However, she did feel a little better knowing how many people in her own life seemed to want to help the situation. Though it far from appeased her conscience, she could at least console herself with the knowledge that her own actions and the actions of those she loved, were trying to better the situation in the poor areas of Starling City. Even though Ray could certainly be an ass, he had donated huge sums of money to aid the restoration of the Glades. He also had his mission as the A.T.O.M to help the people of the Glades, but Felicity worried that he was doing it for the wrong reasons.

Felicity pulled her car into the parking area they all used at Verdant, locked her car doors, and walked to the front door of the club. The club wouldn't open for seven hours so she didn't see a need to make the longer trek to the secret side entrance of the club that lead to the lair. There would be no patrons and she doubted there would be any employees present who would question her presence. She unlocked the door with her set of keys and entered calmly. She was grateful to be on a course that she was sure would at least somewhat distract her from the events of the past twenty four hours.

Felicity reflected how strange she always thought the club looked in the sunlight. Perhaps it was the fact that she spent so many nights there and was used to it pumping with gyrating bodies and loud music, but seeing Verdant empty during the day always felt somewhat bizarre to her. As Felicity walked into the middle of the room, Roy rounded the corner with a large wooden crate in his arms.

"Hey. What're you doing here? Is something going on?" Roy inquired as he set the heavy crate on the bar.

Felicity shook her head and let out a soft sigh, "Just trying to accomplish something. What are you doing here? It seems pretty early for you to be in to work."

"Yeah, well one of our liquor distributers had to change their delivery time. It's annoying to have to come in so early, but Thea would've had their balls if they had stiffed us," Roy said with a glancing smile upstairs at Thea's private office on the second floor.

"Yeah, that's true," Felicity said, an insincere smile pulled tight across her face. The nagging worry about how they would explain to Thea Oliver's second disappearance came to the forefront of her mind. She felt her brow crinkle under the stress. Oliver leaving again was going to be so hard on Thea. She didn't deserve this any more than the rest of them.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Roy asked with sincere concern in his voice.

Felicity paused trying to decide if she should answer. "Did Oliver tell you?"

"About what?" Roy asked confusedly.

"Maseo came to him the other night. Ra's in on his way. We have less than a week before the League gets here," Felicity inhaled roughly, "I must admit, I'm worried. No, worry isn't strong enough a word. I think panic is a more apt description," Felicity responded honestly.

She saw Roy attempt to reign in his feelings so as to not let them reflect on his face. He utterly failed. He was not a particularly emotive guy, but she could see their shared anxiety in his eyes. Roy stepped away from the bar and moved towards Felicity. He took a deep breath and a look of determination replaced the worry on his face. "We'll be fine. We know they're coming. Oliver has a plan and if something goes wrong, we'll plan for worst case scenario. We have time. Oliver knows what he's doing. He wouldn't be doing this if he didn't think he could succeed," Roy assured Felicity.

"Oh, you mean like the time he thought he could beat Ra's al Ghul in a duel and almost died?" Felicity responded darkly.

Roy's mouth twisted in a slight grimace at Felicity's words. He closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head to himself. After a deep breath and a moment of silence, he replied "This time he has us," with a confident nod. He placed his hand gently on Felicity's shoulder in a gesture of comfort and gave her a small smile. Felicity returned it with a half-hearted smile of her own.

Roy removed his hand from Felicity as they both turned towards the soft footsteps they heard descending the metal staircase near them. Thea's tiny figure moved with enviable grace down the rattling staircase. Felicity watched Roy walk back to the bar to retrieve the crate of alcohol he had placed there, and disappear around the corner after. Alone with Thea, Felicity watched as the petite woman stepped down the last of the stairs and moved toward her.

"Looking for Oliver?" Thea asked cheerfully with a smile plastered on her lovely face.

"Um, yes," Felicity replied. It was mostly true. She wanted to see Oliver immensely but that hadn't been her purpose in coming to Verdant. It wasn't as if she could tell Thea that though without inciting further questions.

"Well, he's not here. You're welcome to hang out for a while though. I could definitely use a break from inventory," Thea replied genuinely.

Felicity smiled in return but declined the offer. It looked like she should have used the side entrance after all. As she turned to exit Verdant, Thea stopped her. "Felicity?" Thea asked cautiously.

Felicity faced Thea once more and replied, "Yeah?" quizzically.

"Listen," Thea began, "Oliver told me that you two have started seeing each other. I know it's none of my business, but I wanted to say something," she said in a voice Felicity was sure was meant to be reassuring.

"Okay," Felicity responded hesitantly. She really hoped this wasn't going to be the if-you-hurt-my-brother-I'll-hunt-you-down speech. Then again, that didn't seem like Thea's style. _It's most certainly Oliver's style though_ , she thought wryly to herself.

"Don't let him push you away," Thea stated, clearly heartfelt. Felicity's surprise at what Thea had said surely registered on her face. That was far from what she expected Thea to say. "I haven't seen Ollie like this in a long time. He's happy and though I don't really know you well, I hope he makes you happy. But my brother… he sabotages things when he gets scared. He'll become his moody, brooding self and shut you out. Don't lose faith in him if… when he does. He'll eventually come around," Thea finished sincerely.

Felicity wasn't sure what to say. She knew all too well Oliver's propensity for alienating himself from people. Whether it was in an effort to protect them or because of his personal fears, varied. It'd been a problem between him and Felicity the very previous night. It had frustrated and saddened her that Oliver had kept Ra's al Ghul's impending arrival from her, but she knew his omission didn't come from a place of malice. He had lied to her in a misguided attempt to spare her worry. She understood his intentions intellectually, but she was still hurt by his lie. They would definitely have to build trust with each other if this was ever going to last between them. Love was not always enough to keep people together. She couldn't be with Oliver if he didn't trust her and lied to her. Still, she knew the truth of Thea's words. She had to have faith in Oliver. She had to have faith that they could support and love each other no matter the circumstances. She had to have faith that he would survive his coming ordeal with the League of Assassins.

"Thanks, Thea. I'll remember that," Felicity assured Thea with a smile.

"How serious is it between you two?" Thea asked, not bothering to hide the hope in her voice.

Pausing, Felicity considered her answer. She and Oliver loved each other; she knew that in her bones. Truth be told, she had been in love with Oliver for a long time. Felicity knew in her heart that their relationship was serious, but would Oliver want her to admit that to his baby sister? Their relationship was new and admitting how at least she felt made her worry that it would have some sort of unknown implication.

Felicity made up her mind and looked directly into Thea's kind grey eyes. "Serious," Felicity answered.

An enormous grin spread across Thea's beautiful face. Felicity shyly returned her smile and then spun on her heel to exit Verdant through the front door. Felicity planned on briefly exiting the club and sneaking around to the secret entrance in the alley to get into the lair from there. Even though entering the club in the front door hadn't been as covert as she had intended, Felicity was glad she had come in that way. If she had avoided her conversations with Roy and Thea, she never would have gained the comfort and perspective they had afforded her. Felicity felt a little lighter after their conversations and it was a huge relief.

She took two steps toward Verdant's front door, only for it to swing open to reveal Oliver. An involuntary smile spread across Felicity's face again. She was beyond happy to see him.

A small smile lifted at the corners of Oliver's mouth as well. He walked towards Felicity and gazed into her eyes. They stood so close side-by-side that Felicity could feel the heat radiating off his skin. His mere presence sent tingles all over the surface of her flesh. "Hi," he greeted Felicity in a deep voice.

"Hi," she replied softly.

Pulling his eyes from Felicity's, he turned to face Thea and greeted her in turn, "Hey, Speedy."

"Hey, Ollie. What are you doing here? Finally here to beg for a job?" Thea teased.

Oliver smiled indulgently and said, "I just got done at the gym around the corner and I figured I'd come say hello."

Thea crooked an eyebrow and glanced at Felicity, but said nothing. Felicity had the sneaking suspicion that Thea full well knew that Oliver's motivation for coming to Verdant had nothing to do with wanting to check up on his sister. She kept her face as neutral as Oliver's so as to not pique Thea's intuition further.

Shrugging, Thea replied with, "Well, hi... I have inventory to finish, but I'll catch up with you later."

"Sounds good," said Oliver. Thea snuck a conspiratorial smile at Felicity and turned and began to ascend the stairs back to her private office. Oliver turned and grabbed Felicity's hands in his warm, rough ones.

Felicity looked up into his clear blue grey eyes for moments on end and felt relief wash over her. "I'm glad you're here," she admitted to Oliver.

"I am too," agreed Oliver.

Remaining hand-in-hand, they made their way over to the stairwell that led to the lair. Oliver punched in the code 1-4-1 and held the door open for Felicity to descend the stairs before him. Felicity slowly began walking down the stairs, feeling Oliver close behind her. Gripping the handrail, she braced herself up with determination, focusing on the events to come. She had Oliver with her and they would be prepared when the worst came. She was going to try to have faith.


	20. Chapter 20

*****A/N:** Reminder: This was written in 2018. Me'Shell Ndegéocello's album, _Bitter_ , pretty much epitomizes this. "Beautiful" is the track that really encapsulates the lemon. Listen to the song if you haven't heard it before.

**~`^`~ Oliver ~`^`~**

Oliver stepped out of the misty night and followed Felicity into her darkened apartment. He casually shrugged off his coat and hung it up as Felicity flipped the nearby light switch. He could see behind her lovely eyes how drained she was as he watched her from the foyer. The hours they had spent together that day had been exhausting. None of their group knew what to expect for Oliver in Nanda Parbat, but the least they could do was go over scenarios of what could happen in Starling City if they incurred the League of Assassin's wrath. Oliver already knew that he had to accept Ra's al Ghul's offer to be his successor, but the group agreed that acquiescing to Ra's demand immediately would raise suspicion. Oliver had to at least appear hesitant to agree to his terms in order to be believable. Regardless, the team knew potential disaster still remained on the horizon, even with Oliver's impending consent. Would Ra's immediately punish his feigned reticence? Would he do something proactively to have a threat to hang over Oliver's head?

Felicity, Roy, and Diggle had spent the night hypothesizing horrible things that could be done in Starling as potential punishment and what could be done to rectify or prevent it. Each of them now donned hidden tracking devices with panic buttons at all times, in case of capture. Oliver was even arranging devices to be sent to Laurel, Layla, and baby Sara as a precaution. He knew he would have to find a way to discreetly place one on Thea, as she would most definitely be a target for the League. Her risk would increase a hundredfold if anyone in the League discovered she had actually been the one to kill Sara Lance.

Oliver was sure Diggle was telling his wife, Layla, about the situation they were facing almost at this very moment. Layla would undoubtedly inform her A.R.G.U.S superiors in turn, but the entire group agreed that the A.R.G.U.S Director, Amanda Waller, was unlikely to assist them if anything went awry. Waller would certainly leave all of Starling City to die, unless she felt what was occurring constituted a greater threat to the world as a whole. Oliver knew better than anyone that even if she did agree to help them at some point, they probably wouldn't want whatever help she offered to provide.

Over the course of the day as more and more catastrophic scenarios were presented, Felicity had hacked into even more surveillance programs than they had already monitored. She additionally set up all manner of alerts to be sent to the group if anything remotely abnormal was detected in the city. The Interpol, F.B.I, A.R.G.U.S, and S.C.P.D's criminal databases had all been compromised to provide an extensive array of persons of interest to use when scanning the surveillance systems they had infiltrated. Cellular, radio broadcast, and radio receptor tower signals had all been boosted and diverted to be intercepted and filtered by their newly upgraded equipment to detect oncoming threats from the airwaves. Felicity even commandeered an A.R.G.U.S spy satellite. She had truly outdone herself. Felicity's genius and hard work more than anyone else had helped prepare them for the looming threat of Ra's al Ghul and the League. Oliver knew what she had accomplished that day could mean the difference between life and death for so many people. He was beyond proud.

Felicity let out a soft sigh and rolled her shoulders back and forth in what was an obvious attempt to relieve tension. She still radiated stress despite all the progressive steps they had made today. Oliver wanted to reassure her but he had no idea how. He opened his mouth, ready to ask Felicity what she was thinking, but was promptly interrupted by her.

"No. Don't start. We've talked enough. Between work and our doomsday prep session, I'm done talking for the rest of my life after today. I know that probably sounds insane coming from me but it's true. Well, no it's not true, but you know what I mean," Felicity babbled.

Oliver felt a small smile cross his face as Felicity finished. He enjoyed her outbursts so much sometimes. He took a few impossibly long steps to Felicity and wrapped his arms around her small frame. He was always surprised by the profound sense of relief he felt whenever he held her. Felicity smiled up at him but shifted out of his embrace far sooner than Oliver would have liked. To his relief, she tenderly gripped his hand and pulled him toward the bedroom without another word.

Felicity released Oliver as she walked into her dim room ahead of him. He watched her from the back as she carefully stepped out of her towering heels. Her pale hair and skin shone in the darkness. Oliver mused how Felicity shone in every capacity wherever she went and whatever she did. Her beautiful soul radiated about her, attracting others just as much as her physical appeal did. He knew he was truly a lucky man. She was far better than he deserved.

He walked forward and brought Felicity to him, pressing his front flush against her back. He felt her relax against him in response. Oliver let his fingers lightly trace the front of Felicity's hips through the silky material of her dress. She reached up and loosened her hair from its elastic band, allowing her blonde hair to cascade down her shoulders. He swept her hair from the left side her neck and kissed her neck deeply, eliciting a soft sigh from her.

Pulling his body away from hers, Oliver moved to unzip Felicity's dress. He allowed his fingers to trail down the skin on her spine as he pulled the zipper further down, revealing more of her unclothed body. He could see Felicity shiver with pleasure in the darkness. When he had finished unzipping her dress, he gently pushed it off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor in a pool around her feet.

Still facing Felicity from behind, Oliver could see she was naked except for a black lace thong. Her curvaceous rear was on full view for him to see in his current position and his dick twitched at the sight. A flurry of desire coursed through him. Oliver wanted to grab her and lose himself in her, but he also wanted to take this slow. He wanted both of them to find the comfort they sought in each other in that moment. He wanted Felicity to feel his love and pride in her. He wanted to cherish her.

After a momentary pause, Felicity turned to face Oliver. Her skin was flushed and her breathing accelerated. She moved toward him and lifted his shirt to help guide him in removing it. Before Oliver had even completely removed his dark blue shirt from over his head, he felt Felicity's fingers go to work on undoing his belt. His pants were already becoming uncomfortable as his arousal grew. Oliver kicked off his boots and socks as Felicity's confident fingers continued working on unfastening the strained button and zipper to his pants. She reached inside his underwear pushed down his dark khakis and boxer briefs in one motion. As she did so, he felt her small hands graze against his ass. He was becoming more aroused with every passing moment. His heart was now pounding in his chest. He wanted every inch of his skin against Felicity's. He wanted to touch and kiss every part of her he could reach.

Reaching down, he pulled his pants and underwear off in one swift motion in haste. He could feel he was nearly up to his full height now and his need for her was growing swiftly. He observed the carnal appreciation in Felicity's eyes as she looked at his own naked and visibly ready body.

Oliver pulled Felicity smoothly against him and fisted his hands in her hair and at the small of her back. He kissed her ardently, pouring all his love and the desire he felt for her into it. He felt her breasts pressed firmly against him as his erection pressed against her in return. Their heads rolled back and forth as Felicity deepened their already passionate kiss. Their kiss seemed to extend on and on forever as their hands gradually explored each others bodies. Oliver could feel her breath hot against his face as he began to walk Felicity backward to her bed.

Oliver stopped when he felt Felicity's knees hit the edge of her bed. She fell backward onto the large mattress with a smile. Oliver gazed at her from where he stood at the end of the bed. He watched enraptured as she seductively pulled her body towards the head of the bed, her eyes boring into his. Felicity lifted her hips, allowing Oliver to gingerly slide her delicate underwear down her slender but muscular legs. After discarding Felicity's underwear on the floor at his feet, he pushed her legs open wide. Felicity remained prostrate on the bed before him, the desire plain on her face to see. Oliver bent down and without hesitation or built anticipation; kissed Felicity at the apex of her thighs.

He felt her shudder beneath his mouth. Her arousal was immediately apparent on his tongue the moment he reached her center. His tongue swirled around her clitoris repeatedly, drawing elongated groans of pleasure from her. It wasn't long before Oliver could feel Felicity's legs start to tremble around his face. He had only been at his ministrations mere minutes, yet he could tell Felicity was already close to her orgasm. It was obvious she needed the release and reassurance of them making love just as much as Oliver did. Oliver slid two fingers inside her and massaged her inner walls as he continued his assault on her bundle of nerves with his tongue. Oliver thrust his fingers slowly into her just three times before she cried out, her back bowing away from the bed underneath her. He felt her insides clamp around his fingers as her hips swayed to meet his hand to ride out her orgasm.

When Oliver felt Felicity's body still, he removed his mouth from her sex and stood up from where he had been leaning down. He looked down at Felicity and saw her staring back at him, her chest heaving up and down with her panting breaths as her hair and arms were splayed out around her. God she was beautiful. Oliver slowly glided his body up parallel with hers, kissing and licking her skin with his ascent. He paused at her breasts and kissed them slowly before taking each of her nipples his mouth and sucking hard.

Felicity's squirmed beneath him as her hands trailed over the scars on his chest and shoulders. With other women, that action had bothered Oliver. It had felt like cataloguing, pity, or even slight revulsion. But Oliver felt nothing but love radiate from Felicity's actions, so it only increased the pleasure already surrounding him. Felicity grabbed Oliver's face in her small hands and pulled him up to adoringly kiss him. She released his face quickly, planting her left hand on the back of his neck and trailing her right hand down his abdomen and into the hair above his erection.

Oliver groaned against Felicity's mouth and flexed his hips into her small hand and she gripped him firmly. He knew neither of them could wait much longer. Felicity slowly and gently moved her hand up and down his length and whispered breathily, "Condoms are in the top nightstand drawer," against Oliver's urgent mouth.

Oliver reached over to the nearby nightstand and quickly forced the top drawer open, blindly reaching in and grabbing a foil packet. As he leaned over to the dresser to retrieve the condom, Felicity softly bit his ear as it and his stubble grazed her face. That action elicited a deep moan from Oliver and his dick twitched in Felicity's hand again.

"You are going to unman me," Oliver teasingly chastised. Felicity smiled in response and placed her small palms flat against Oliver's chest and pushed. He could tell her movements were meant to indicate to him that she wanted him to shift off of her and lie on the bed. Oliver acquiesced to her unspoken desire.

He rolled to lay on his back, flat against the bed next to Felicity. She quickly shifted her small body and straddled his muscular thighs. The desire that had been smoldering under Oliver's surface up to that moment fanned into a blaze. His breathing accelerated quickly as his heart impossibly began to race even faster. Oliver was a little surprised when Felicity practically ripped the condom from his hand and tore it open with nimble fingers. The excitement and need Oliver felt was being reflected back in Felicity.

Oliver's breath hitched in his chest as she rolled the condom onto his length. He braced himself with anticipation as he watched Felicity shift her slight frame forward. She gripped his erection and raised herself up above him, lining her own sex up with his. She slowly lowered herself down onto Oliver's substantial arousal and they both let out loud moans of pleasure at the contact. Oliver could feel Felicity's walls stretch around him. Oliver's eyes rolled back in his head with pleasure as he felt himself fill her to the hilt when they completed their merge.

Then there was stillness. Oliver looked up into Felicity's beautiful face from where he lay below her. What he saw there escaped adequate definition. He saw lust, passion, love, adoration, and something else he couldn't identify flowing from Felicity. She bent down and kissed Oliver in a way that made him feel the love she felt for him melt down to his very soul. The kiss was languid and brief, but it was a religious experience for Oliver.

"I love you, Oliver Queen," Felicity said ardently.

"And I love you, Felicity Smoak," Oliver replied with every ounce of sincerity within him.

Felicity placed her palms on Oliver's chest, one over his Bratva tattoo and one on the fibrous scar Yao Fei had given him. Felicity began to lift herself up and down on Oliver's length. Their pace was slow at first, almost casual, but started to build quickly. Oliver let his fingers glide up and down Felicity's thighs as she continued her movements. He was utterly transfixed by her. Her eyes were closed and her pouting mouth open as the absorbed all of him. He watched with awe as her golden hair cascaded around her bouncing breasts. Oliver gripped her thighs more firmly, just watching her body slowly bounce before him. She was lost in pleasure and it was driving him wild.

Oliver reached up and palmed both Felicity's breasts, kneading them as they bounced in his hands. Felicity threw her head back and bit her substantial bottom lip. He could feel her nipples pert against his palms. He rolled her nipples gently between his fingers as Felicity increased her pace. She rotated her hips and came down onto Oliver's length again harder, this time hitting her g-spot. The mewling cry she made at the contact sent Oliver spiraling. He would not last much longer. His pleasure was coiling deep inside him and he knew he was close to his own release.

Oliver gripped onto Felicity's hips and started to guide her, speeding up their pace even further. She lowered herself onto him and Oliver flexed his hips, propelling his erection into her and reaching her g-spot again. Felicity moaned and let her head fall backward. Oliver continued to guide her and meet her stroke for stroke, pounding into her g-spot. He could feel her fingernails scratching against his chest as she used him for purchase.

Their movements were almost frantic now, but were still gentle at the same time. Oliver grunted with every thrust and Felicity moaned as her breasts bounced even more wildly. Oliver started to feel Felicity's insides tremble around him again. Oliver thrust into her sharply and rotated his hips. With that, he watched Felicity come spectacularly above him. Her muscles clamped onto his erection fiercely as she let out a long, low moan of satisfaction. Oliver thrust into her once more and dove into his own intense release. The pleasure fell thick and fast around him as he felt his dick twitch repeatedly as he spilled himself into the waiting condom.

Felicity collapsed down onto Oliver's chest in exhausted contentment. Oliver wrapped his arms around Felicity's back to hold her close to him. They both stayed there motionless, making no attempt to break their contact. They were both obviously satiated and blissful to be basking in the afterglow of their love.

If Oliver knew anything about what was to come, it was that Felicity would be at his side and that's all that mattered to him. They had made their "doomsday preparations" as Felicity had called it, and now Oliver was determined that they would live. He and Felicity would shunt the threat of the League aside and just be. Ra's al Ghul be damned.

 ***** F/N:** I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. There are a couple more fluffy ones to come before we get into the bulk of the plot.


	21. Chapter 21

*****A/N:** Once again, a brief reminder that this portion of the story was written in 2018.

**~`^`~ Oliver ~`^`~**

Oliver watched Felicity spoon a small bite of egg into her mouth and smile with contentment. "You are a damn fine cook, Mr. Queen. Where'd you even learn to cook?" Felicity inquired.

Oliver smiled and indulged her innocent inquiry, "On Lian Yu, food was scarce and when it was there it was far from enticing. It pretty much came down to cooked or raw." Oliver saw Felicity's obvious intrigue and decided to continue, "Plus, when you don't really speak a language, cooking shows are pretty much the only things that can be universally understood."

Felicity gave Oliver an amused smile and replied, "Somehow I have a hard time picturing you sitting down and watching TV."

"I do more than just work out and shoot arrows into criminals," he smirked back.

"I like the working out. The salmon ladder is definitely my favorite part of your exercise regimen." Her reply elicited a small chuckle from Oliver.

After a pause to eat her remaining eggs, Felicity continued, "Seeing as my mother could barely boil water, it's hardly surprising I never learned to cook. Maybe I should try watching some cooking shows. Have you thought about how weird competitive eating shows are though? It's literally cheering for someone to eat. What do you say? 'Good job chewing. You're a natural chewer! You're a great swallower. I've never seen anyone swallow as well as you!'" Felicity stared at Oliver, her eyes wide. She set down her spoon and scrunched up her face in embarrassment.

"Oh my god. That came out so wrong," Felicity groaned.

Oliver didn't bother to hide the involuntary smile that had spread across his face. "You know, you are utterly amusing sometimes," Oliver teased.

Felicity snapped her mouth closed in an obvious attempt to hold back a retort. After a beat, she diverted, "Okay, I have to finish getting ready. I really don't think PT would approve of me coming in in just this," she said gesturing to her satin camisole and shorts set. The shirt was pleasantly tight and a little sheer.

Oliver drank in her body, "Oh, I'm sure many people would love to see you in that. I certainly enjoy it," he said with a smirk and raised eyebrow, making his meaning clear.

Felicity blushed and looked back at Oliver with admiring blue eyes. "Look who's talking. I even know a few guys that would love to see you like you are right now," Felicity said in response to Oliver who sat next to her in only his boxers.

Oliver smirked but he full well knew the effect he had on other people. It was a little awkward at times but he had lived most of his life glorying in the preferential treatment that came from not only being a Queen, but a good-looking Queen. He knew from experience that women will frequently fawn all over a man who is rich or handsome, but combine the two and more often than not, Oliver found that the women he associated with let all their convictions go out the window when it came to him. He spent his college years neck-deep in a debauchery that came to him with unbelievable ease. Despite being attached to Laurel, he breezed through women like no one else. It took him being marooned on Lian Yu to discover how little that pleased him. He saw how hollow and alone his previous lifestyle had in fact left him feeling and he didn't want that anymore. He wanted to love and be loved. As much as he wanted to protect her, Oliver didn't think he could live without Felicity now. In fact, he didn't want to even try.

"What are your plans tonight?" Oliver asked Felicity.

"Nothing after work. Why?" Felicity responded with curiosity in her voice.

"I was wondering if I could to take you to dinner," Oliver answered.

"Like on a date?" Felicity asked nervously.

Oliver was surprised that Felicity seemed nervous but replied, "Yes," optimistically.

A slow smile crept onto Felicity's beautiful face. "Meet you at 8? Wait. Where should I meet you?" she asked.

"I'll text you later while you're at work," Oliver responded.

"Speaking of work, not to kill the mood or anything, but there's something I should tell you. It's not like I've been avoiding telling you or anything, but there hasn't really been an ideal time until now," Felicity rambled anxiously. Oliver silently encouraged her to continue. It appeared to him that Felicity was holding her breath and he was sure that didn't bode well. The silence stretched on and just when Oliver was about to ask Felicity to speak, she blurted, "Ray knows you're the Arrow," in a single rush of breath.

"What?" he responded, his resulting anger close to the surface.

"Apparently he got his suit working and he was at the scene when we were diffusing Shrapnel's bomb in the Glades. The suit's technology was able to render what the Arrow looked like under the mask and well…" Felicity drifted off. This was bad but Oliver didn't know why Felicity looked guilty.

"Does he know about the others? Do you think he is a threat?" Oliver asked tenuously holding onto his calm.

"He didn't mention the others. I don't think he'd out you but then again, I don't seem to know him very well." The crease between Felicity's eyes gave away her true distress at the situation. She was trying to project certainty and ease but her body was giving her away.

"What do you mean you don't know him very well?" Oliver inquired.

"Let's just say he was… unkind about my involvement," Felicity admitted. Oliver felt his muscles tense. Whatever Palmer had said had upset Felicity and Oliver could beat Ray bloody just for that. "Don't worry about it, Oliver. I don't think he'll tell anyone. He'd have to out himself as well in order to do that and I know he doesn't want to," she attempted to reassure him.

Oliver exhaled in an attempt to steady himself and nodded an affirmative to Felicity. He'd have words with Ray Palmer at some point to assess Ray's risk himself but in the meantime, he'd trust Felicity's assessment.

**~`*`~ Felicity ~`*`~**

Felicity's day at Palmer tech was going atypically smoothly. Either that or the little sphere of happiness that surrounded her made the small issues that normally affected her job less noticeable. Sitting at her desk, Felicity stole a glance away from her computer screen and to the closet on the back wall of her office. In it was hidden the dress and a few additional items of makeup and jewelry she'd change into before heading to her date with Oliver tonight. She had no idea why she was nervous at the prospect of going on a date with Oliver. She and Oliver were about as close as two people could be. He knew practically everything about her and while she knew that she most definitely didn't know everything about him, Felicity was sure that she knew Oliver perhaps better than anyone else on the planet.

She wondered if maybe that was the problem. She and Oliver had already been through so much. _You've got a lot more coming_ Felicity thought wryly. She grimaced to herself at the turn her thoughts had taken. She braced herself up in her chair and muttered, "No, you're not starting somewhere fresh but tonight'll be great because things are already great. There is no reason to be nervous," to herself with a nod.

"What are you nervous about?" came a familiar voice from her office doorway. Felicity's spirits fell slightly when she looked up from her computer monitor to see Ray standing at the entrance to her office. He at least had the good graces to cautiously stay in the doorway with the door open. After their last confrontation, Ray barging into her office unannounced in his usual way would have been unacceptable.

"What do you want, Ray? Or should I call you Mr. Palmer?" Felicity said snidely. She was pleased to see the chagrin on Ray's face in response to her comment. It was clear he felt some shame about his behavior yesterday at the very least.

"Listen, Felicity. I'm sorry," Ray said as he stepped into her office, closing the door behind him. "I mean, I shouldn't have said those things about you. I hadn't calculated how my own personal feelings could be affecting how I saw the situation," he finished sincerely.

It didn't escape Felicity's notice that he had left things vague and completely ignored Oliver, but his apology was genuine. "Thank you. You are wrong though, Ray. About me. About Oliver. Oliver is a good man. He'll prove it to you someday," Felicity stated confidently.

"He's still dangerous, Felicity. Be careful," Ray said warily. She could tell his comment wasn't coming from a place of anger anymore, merely concern, and that she could handle.

"Ray, you're not going to tell anyone, are you?" Felicity asked.

"No, I would never do that to you. But…" Ray hesitated. His face was solemn, giving Felicity no hint at what was going on behind his halted statement.

"But what?" Felicity wanted to approach this cautiously. She wondered if he about to hand out some ultimatum.

After a long pause, he finished, "I'll be watching. Don't let him screw up," flatly, turning on his heel and pushing his way out her office door.

Felicity didn't know for sure if Ray had meant his statement as a threat but it certainly came off that way. She was glad that was over. Final comment aside, she thought his apology and promise of discretion was pretty reassuring. Maybe Ray would get over his preconceived notions and they'd be able to work together both at Palmer Tech and to help Starling City. Team Arrow could certainly use all the help they could get.

Felicity turned back to her keyboard and ferociously began typing. She had tackled Ray and was anxious to finish out the rest of her work for the day. She was spending tonight with Oliver. She was going on a date with a man she loved. With that thought, Felicity smiled and plowed ahead with her duties in a cloud of cheerfulness.

 *****A/N:** Felicity's accidental innuendo "swallow dialogue" at breakfast is autobiographical. I literally said that in front of children! I have as big of an unintended-double entendre problem as she does.


	22. Chapter 22

****A/N:** Whoops. I just noticed that I had accidentally skipped chapter 12 and posted chapter 13 in its place twice. Sorry for the confusion. It is fixed now.

**~`^`~ Oliver ~`^`~**

Oliver felt the wind whip all around him as he sped through the Glades on his motorcycle. Dusk had fallen and the weather was chilly. He confidently weaved through the relatively bare familiar streets. These streets were always blessed with little foot or vehicle traffic. This area's renown as being particularly crime-ridden, even for the Glades, made most people steer clear of it unless absolutely necessary. Of course, this had its advantages, like now, as he was running late for his date with Felicity. His rotten luck had known no limits.

 _Oliver pulled his Ducati to a stop at the stoplight behind a large black truck. If he hurried from here on out, he'd actually be on time for once. Perpendicular to his left side was a dim alley. Oliver could see two men standing close to each other near the mouth of the alley. One was enormously muscular and unusually well-kept for the area they were in, while the other was almost startlingly thin in ill-fitting, threadbare clothing. They were speaking in low tones so Oliver couldn't hear them thanks to the roar of the engine in the truck in front of him. Even so, he could tell that their reason for being there was far from above board. The stoplight changed and the truck ahead of Oliver barreled forward with a bellow because of its removed muffler._ Douchebag, _Oliver thought._

_As he was about to pursue the obnoxious truck, Oliver glanced the burlier man in the alley slide a package into the waiting hand of the shabby man next to him. Even through the darkness outside and the tint of the visor on his helmet, the contents of the packet was unmistakable to Oliver. Vertigo._

_Oliver had killed the Count over a year ago. Oliver knew Werner Zytle had taken up the mantle of "The Count" and assumed distribution and reformulation of the Count and subsequently Dr. Webb's Vertigo, but he hadn't seen much of the drug on the street until now._

_He couldn't believe this was happening again. The last time Oliver had had a break in dealing with Zytle was oddly enough during Oliver and Felicity's first attempt at a first date. Oliver had apprehended thugs connected to Vertigo distribution earlier that evening and upon the start of removing his Arrow gear to go in to his date with Felicity, he discovered a tracking device lodged on his suit. Guessing correctly that his location had been compromised in an attempt to kill him, Oliver abandoned the tracking dot in the darkened lot he was in and flew away from the populated area. It wasn't long until a van full of armed men caught up to the fleeing Oliver. Hearing over coms what was happening, Dig and Roy met up with Oliver and subdued most of Oliver's pursuers. Unfortunately, by the time his attackers were dealt with, his night with Felicity had effectively been ruined. The attack had lead Oliver to again question the wisdom of dating Felicity. Not only because it seemed to be causing him to lose focus, but also because it put her at greater risk. And with that, Oliver had once again talked himself out of giving it a shot with Felicity. Their relationship had ended before they had even gone on a date._

_But that was then. Oliver wouldn't let that happen again. He knew better now. Oliver didn't care if the universe was trying to send him some sort of sign with this sudden reemergence of Vertigo. He didn't believe in that shit. He was never giving Felicity up again. Universe be damned._

_"Shit," Oliver groaned in a nearly inaudible whisper. He was going to be on time for once! He could be on time if he ignored the drug deal going on in front of him. He sighed and turned left. Oliver knew he couldn't ignore what was happening. Not only would he never forgive himself if he found out this person who needed help was hurt by the drugs, but this was a chance to get a lead on Zytle's location from the dealer. He had to try._

_Oliver lamented not having his Arrow gear on him, but his helmet would be enough identity concealment and he didn't need a bow and arrows to protect himself. Turning off his bike in a nearby alley, Oliver crept toward the alley where the two men stood huddled together._

_"Don't you fucking try to short me, asshole! I said two hundred! Do you think I can't count?" the dealer said in a hostile whisper._

_"Here, here, take this too," replied the small buyer shakily. Oliver peered his head around the mouth of the alley and saw the trembling emaciated man attempt to shove a gold chain into the hand of the man that had him gripped firmly by the lapels of his coat._

_The dealer looked down from his captive's face to the chain he held, not bothering to release him. "What the fuck do I want with some fake ass jewelry? Give me the money or I'll beat your ass senseless," the burly dealer threatened._

_"No, no, it's not fake. It belonged to my mother. It's real gold, I swear!" the addict defended, his voice small._

_The dealer pulled a hand away from his would-be buyer's jacket and reached back his arm, his hand in a ready fist. The tiny addict crumpled to the ground at the fierce blow the large man dealt to his jaw. After ripping the necklace from the cowering man's hand, the dealer shoved his hand into the addict's jacket pocket and extricated the bag of pills he had sold him. As the towering pulled back his leg to obviously render a kick to the downed man's abdomen, Oliver propelled himself forward into the alley._

_Before the dealer could even fully turn to face Oliver, Oliver dealt a powerful punch to the man's jaw and a swift elbow down onto his left collar. Oliver heard a loud snap as his right elbow made contact with the burly man's collar bone and was greeted by a satisfying shriek from the man in response. Oliver had obviously broken the man's clavicle and Oliver felt no guilt about that._

_Oliver pinned the dealer against the rough red brick alley wall with his left hand and called back to the thin man watching the two of them with terror from the ground, "Get out of here." The small man scrambled to his feet and ran from the alley. The dealer struggled against Oliver's weight, but his attempts to free himself were feeble thanks to the pain of the broken collar that was rendering his left arm immobile._

_"Ge'off me! Let me go," the struggling man demanded weakly._

_"Who supplies your Vertigo?" Oliver growled through his helmet._

_"Eat shit," the dealer spat in reply._

_Oliver could tell his captive was putting on a show of bravery. The guy's eyes were swimming with tears. The criminal's ego obviously dictated that his image of strength must be upheld at all times. Oliver would melt that façade away. Making his intention clear, Oliver mockingly slowly showed the bully his gloved index finger, then lowered it towards the man's shattered collar bone. Oliver saw the man's pupils shrink in his fearful brown eyes as he attempted to pull his body away from Oliver's restraint. "No, don't!" he begged._

_Oliver brought his finger down and applied just the slightest pressure on the snapped bone. The dealer screamed as if he'd been branded with a hot iron in response._ Definitely not a hardened criminal _, Oliver thought to himself. "Who is your supplier?" Oliver demanded again._

_"I... I have no supplier! I stole it from guy at the gym, okay. I mean, he owed me money for the T I got him. Come on, payback is payback! He owed me," the hefty man sputtered through sobs._

_It was obvious to Oliver that the man in front of him was telling the truth. Hardened criminal he was not, but this asshole had still beat and robbed a person who needed help. "I see you again, I'll make you wish I'd only broken your other collar bone," Oliver threatened as he released the would-be dealer from his control._

_As if to prove to Oliver- or himself- that he was still a badass, as soon as Oliver turned to make his way out of the alley, the large man swung wildly at Oliver's head. It seemed the man's wounded ego and rage had made him ignore the fact that Oliver was wearing a motorcycle helmet. Oliver didn't bother moving, instead letting the man's uncontrolled blow land on his helmet. Oliver's body didn't move so much as an inch when the man's fist made contact with his helmet. Oliver heard the idiot's regretful yell at the pain the attempted strike had caused his hand. Oliver spun and smashed his protected forehead against the thug's vulnerable one and was pleased when the man collapsed unconscious to the ground._

_Oliver worried that this guy's roid rage was going to cause him to kill someone someday. Reaching into the inner pocket of the sprawled man's jacket, Oliver pulled out the bag of Vertigo, a vial of some clear liquid, and the man's wallet. After making note of the information on the man's ID, Oliver smashed both the pills and the vial under his loafer and tossed dealer's wallet back on his chest. He'd keep an eye on him._

Oliver was still annoyed that the drug buy he had stopped hadn't lead to anything helpful to stop Zytle, but he soothed himself with the knowledge that the roided out asshole who would have beaten a defenseless man bloody now had a broken collar bone and would find it hard to attempt to assault to anyone else for a while.

Oliver continued to race through the dusk until he reached the small parking lot of his destination. Oliver spied Felicity's car nearby and he felt guilty knowing she was already in the restaurant and waiting for him. He hoped she had not been there for long. Hastily stowing his helmet, riding jacket, and gloves in the back compartment of his bike, he pulled out his suit jacket and smoothed it on. Oliver took a moment to take inventory of his appearance to assure there wasn't blood on his clothes. Seeing he was clear, Oliver jogged to the small restaurant's entrance.

Oliver hadn't been to Le Rendezvous since before his fateful trip on the Queen's Gambit and he was hoping his reservation would please Felicity. Oliver stepped into the sea of dark wood, candlelight, and white linen that was the restaurant and gave his name to the hostess. The woman blinked several times and steered Oliver to the intimate table where Felicity was waiting for him.

Felicity was simply breathtaking. A smile grew wider on her face as Oliver approached. The soft lighting and dark wood seemed to make her shine in the room around her. Her golden hair fell in soft ringlets around her. She had abandoned her glasses and her makeup was simple but attractive with a bright fuchsia lip. Everything complemented the close-fitting coral dress that hugged her body. The dress' neckline scooped low, revealing the tops of her breasts. Oliver knew he did not deserve the intelligent, compassionate, strong goddess in front of him, but he couldn't bring himself to care. His heartbeat beat fast in anticipation and he found himself thinking about the cliché of having butterflies in his stomach.

Felicity rose to her feet when Oliver reached her at the table. Oliver placed a chaste kiss on her cheek and whispered, "You look beautiful," in her ear earnestly. He was pleased when Felicity shivered in response. He could see the blush that had crept over her face linger on her skin as they both took their seats across from each other.

"Your waiter, Eric, will be right with you. In the meantime, feel free to peruse our wine list. Eric can answer any questions you might have. Welcome to Le Rendezvous," finished the hostess.

"Thank you," Oliver said, freeing the woman to go.

"Hi," Felicity said quietly.

"Hi," Oliver responded with a small smile. "I'm sorry I was late."

"It's fine. Compared to your regular Oliver Queen lateness, you were pretty much on time," Felicity teased.

"Am I really that bad?" Oliver asked in mock concern.

"Let me say this, when I was your assistant, I never once gave you an appointment time that wasn't adjusted by at least half an hour. I knocked it up to an hour if something was really important," Felicity admitted with a smirk.

"I'll have to work on that," Oliver mused.

"I think your second job takes precedence," she replied.

Their waiter chose that moment to arrive and inquire as to their drink orders. Oliver noticed that Eric's eyes lingered on Felicity more than he'd like. He could hardly blame the man. Felicity was glorious, but a jealousy Oliver rarely felt was rearing its head.

"What would you like to drink?" Oliver asked Felicity.

"Nothing. I may have been nervous for tonight and took a benzo. More than one, actually," she admitted under her breath. Their waiter blinked in surprise at Felicity's admission, but remained professional.

"Bourbon. Neat," Oliver dismissed. Their waiter retreated to the bar, allowing Felicity and Oliver to glance at their menus.

Oliver was oddly relieved to hear that Felicity was nervous too. "I'm glad to hear I'm not the only nervous one, at least. I mean, what reason do we have to be nervous?" Oliver asked.

Felicity gave a small chuckle and replied, "I really don't know. It's not as if this is the first time we're meeting or anything."

"True," he agreed. "I still remember the first time we met."

"Oh, god that was embarrassing. I was all… me. I think I was even chewing on a pen," Felicity responded.

"It was red," Oliver said, looking deep into her eyes.

A small smile crept to her face. "You know, your excuses for coming down to my office were really pathetic."

"And yet you helped me," Oliver said with repressed awe.

"I had a feeling I could trust you," she replied sincerely.

"You can. Always," Oliver responded earnestly.

Felicity smiled in reply and looked down to her menu. It took everything Oliver had to examine his own. He could easily spend the entire rest of the evening just staring at Felicity. Contentment spread through his chest. This was a good beginning.

 *****A/N:** I hope this chapter wasn't too confusing with the whole semi-memory-within-a-flashback-thing.


	23. Chapter 23

*****A/N:** I hope the last chapter made it clear that this is Oliver and Felicity's first date. In the show, their first date in S3:E1 that was literally exploded didn't happen in this story's timeline.

**~`*`~ Felicity ~`*`~**

Felicity could think of no other word to describe her and Oliver's date so far other than "incandescent". Despite the crowded restaurant, their atypically free-flowing conversation was never interrupted. Even with the many buzzing bodies of other weekend-ready patrons, she and Oliver's table never ceased to seem intimate. It was exactly like the fantasies she had entertained since Oliver had first genuinely admitted he loved her. Her mood soured momentarily when she remembered how her mind had twisted those desires into nightmares when she had mistakenly believed Oliver dead, but it quickly rectified itself.

Oliver was never particularly loquacious- especially about his time away from Starling City- but as the dinner progressed, he gave more and more small glimpses into the things he had learned and enjoyed while away. She could see something guarded behind his eyes when he spoke of Tatsu, Maseo, and Akio and their lives together in Hong Kong. Felicity didn't intend to pressure Oliver into revealing something he wasn't ready to disclose, but she was genuinely curious about his time in Asia. Oliver somewhat reluctantly confided the tragic circumstances of Akio's death and the aftermath of it to her. Felicity's heart swelled, as she knew Oliver well enough to know how burdened he would feel by the boy's unfortunate death. The knowledge he provided also gave a glimpse into Maseo's motivation and the bond between the two men that Felicity hoped with all her heart was still strong enough to see them through the coming trials ahead.

Felicity talked about work at Palmer Tech and the strides forward they were making in innovative fields. She felt pride at what she was accomplishing there and she could tell Oliver felt the same about her. She briefly touched on the fact that Ray had apologized for his treatment of her over his discovery about Oliver being the Arrow, but she refused to go into detail as she didn't want to spoil a single moment of their night with drama caused by Ray Palmer. Felicity noticed Oliver's eyes narrow in irritation at just the mention of Ray's name. She was sure it would be a long time before Oliver and Ray's relationship would be cordial again. That was if it was even able to become that way again at all.

As their food vanished from their plates, Felicity wondered why either of them had been nervous about this date at all. Felicity had only embarrassed herself once when she realized she had been blabbering for an extensive period of time describing in intricate detail a piece of technology they were developing at Palmer Technologies. Sometimes she couldn't turn the excited nerd part of her brain off. It wasn't until she saw the glazed-over look in Oliver's eyes that she snapped back to reality and realized that he had been patiently listen to her ramble about something that might as well have been in a foreign language to him. A foreign language he didn't speak, that is.

After declining an offer of dessert from their server, Eric, Felicity excused herself to the restroom. The relatively intimate size of the restaurant made it have the annoying quality of only having a single restroom. This was undoubtedly fine on an ordinary night, but it being a busy Friday night, as well as women taking significantly longer in restrooms than men, found Felicity standing in a queue of women waiting for their own turn in the bathroom. She considered giving up and returning to the table with Oliver, but her drive home wasn't exactly short and she thought better than to risk it.

Gazing at some sort of fresco painting of a lounging woman on the wall across from her, Felicity lost herself in thought as she waited. Moments later, two garishly dressed women close to Felicity's own age rounded the corner to join the line behind her.

"I'm just saying, he was alone," said the tall brunette. The woman's face could only be described as artistry. Her makeup was ornate and vividly detailed. Her shoes and tiny dress were easily just as elaborate. She radiated the confidence of a woman who knew she was beautiful and took pride and care to keep it that way. Felicity suddenly felt short and plain next to her.

"I know. Isn't he supposed to be like this god to women? I'm so surprised. Still, yum," her friend breathed. The brunette's more petite accomplice had obviously gone to great pains to appear to be in the same league as her friend, but had fallen somewhat short. Her makeup was too heavily applied and her clothes not as ultra modern, but she was still lovely on her own.

"Well, I'm going to go for it. It's not every day you see a Queen alone in the wild," the haughty brunette said confidently.

Felicity hid a grimace from her face. She knew precisely who they were talking about. No. Oliver was hers. Felicity was constantly aware of the multitude of women and men flocking to fawn over Oliver, and it was annoying but didn't really make her mad. She understood the desire. She'd felt it for years. This was different though. This woman was going to make a play at seducing her Oliver. It didn't help that this woman kind of reminded Felicity of the evil bitch, Isabel Rochev. Therefore, she was precisely Oliver's type.

"No. You're not," the brunette's ginger friend giggled.

"Yes, I am. I don't care if he's broke. If half the stories are true… Mmmm," the glamorous women hummed as innuendo. The pair laughed together in response.

"You'd better be quick we're going to be…" started the petite woman. Felicity gratefully flung herself into the now vacant restroom as the woman occupying it before her exited it.

She groaned quietly as she finished drying her washed hands on a waiting paper towel. Women could be so obnoxious sometimes. _Those girls would get along great with Mom_ , Felicity thought ruefully to herself. Felicity found the women still whispering conspiratorially outside the bathroom door as she exited it.

Ignoring them, she turned the corner and saw Oliver waiting patiently at their table. Relief spread through her chest. Felicity didn't realize how irritating she had found the duo in the ladies' room queue until she felt the feeling subside upon seeing Oliver again. She didn't like that she was capable of pettiness like that.

"I'm sorry. The line for the bathroom was really long," Felicity apologized. No sooner did Felicity sit down than the waiter returned with the completed dinner check.

"It's not a problem," Oliver responded with an indulging smirk. Oliver signed the receipt with a flourish and folded his credit card back into his wallet, sticking it into his inner suit jacket pocket. Oliver thanked the nearby Eric with a nod.

"Thank you for visiting Les Rendezvous and have a good evening," Eric instructed as he collected the bill and pen from their table.

"Thank you," Felicity replied.

Oliver stood confidently, buttoned a button on his suit jacket, and held out his hand to Felicity. Felicity loved how he looked in a suit, but they were just not him at all. At least not anymore. She hadn't known Oliver before his time on the island so she didn't know if he had blossomed in formal attire before, but now he seemed like his true self in the clothes you'd never expect a wealthy- or formerly wealthy- playboy to be in. Her Oliver was a t-shirt and jeans man, and while she'd forever love seeing him dressed up like he is now, she couldn't wait to get him alone to where they could just unwind.

"Shall we?" he asked.

"We shall," Felicity said, taking his offered hand to stand.

Oliver left his hand in hers as his powerful strides propelling them forward in sync out of the restaurant. Oliver held open the door for Felicity and she walked through it with a shy smile. They paused together for a moment under the awning outside as the night had become damp and chilly. It wasn't far to Felicity's car, but Oliver still extricated himself from his grey suit jacket and draped it around Felicity, for which she was grateful. The dress she wore didn't cover much skin and merely walking out the front door of the restaurant had left her skin a blanket of goosebumps.

Oliver wrapped his arms around Felicity's waist when they reached her car. She gazed up through the dark into his grey blue eyes. "Thank you so much. Dinner was wonderful." Felicity said sincerely.

"It was. Why were we nervous again?" Oliver asked amused.

"Maybe because this wasn't our beginning. I already love you and you already love me. And it's not as if we haven't exhausted every date topic and had sex before," Felicity admitted.

Oliver smiled genuinely. "Speaking of which, I've wanted to do this all night," he said gripping Felicity's chin lightly and slowly bringing his mouth to hers. Their lips brushed, but it was enough to incite something deep inside both of them. Soon Felicity found herself pressed against her driver's side door, Oliver's hands in her hair and her one free hand gripping his bicep firmly. Their kiss was passionate but lasted only moments. The kiss was still enough to leave them both panting. Oliver leaned his forehead against Felicity's where she stayed with her eyes closed, just breathing him in. He pulled back and she opened her eyes to meet his bright ones. "I love you," he breathed.

"I love you," she whispered back.

"I'll see you at your place," Oliver said as he extricate himself from Felicity's grasp. After placing a swift kiss on her lips he turned to make his way to his nearby Ducati.

Felicity fished around her clutch purse for her car keys. She was still flustered from their brief heated kiss. She was officially anxious to get home now. As she turned to open her car door she saw the two women she had endured in the women's room queue staring at her from under the awning at the restaurant's entrance. The shock was plain on their faces. She saw their eyes flick back and forth from her to where she glanced Oliver pulling on his riding jacket. It was too good.

"Babe, your jacket," Felicity called unnecessarily loud as she gestured to his suit jacket she still wore. Oliver was only about 3 cars from her but she let her voice carry. She and Oliver didn't really use pet names for each other, but it was obvious the woman who had planned on seducing Oliver had witnessed their kiss and Felicity wanted to rub it in that Oliver was hers further.

"I'm good. I'll get it back at home," Oliver called back equally loud with a wink. His similarly exaggerated volume made Felicity wonder if he had noticed the women's appraisal too, or perhaps something had happened with them that Felicity didn't know. Oliver slid on his black helmet and roared his motorcycle to life.

Felicity smiled to herself as she removed his jacket and situated herself behind the wheel. Not only did she feel a little smug about the full blown grimace that now stretched across the face of the glamorous brunette, but joy bubbled inside her at Oliver's words. " _I'll get it back at home"_. Not _I'll get it back at_ your _home_ , just _I'll get it back at home_. Like he wanted it to be his home too. Like maybe it already was.

 ****F/N: **Again, I just noticed that I had accidentally skipped chapter 12 and posted chapter 13 in its place twice. Sorry for the confusion. It is fixed now.


End file.
